Changes and Charity
by kmairif
Summary: Charlotte Lucas made the pragmatic choice when she became Charlotte Collins. But her life has now been turned upside down by her husband's decease. What does the future hold for Charlotte now? Must a pregnant widow of little fortune be automatically in search of a husband? Set two years after Pride and Prejudice, this follows Charlotte's story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The view from Charlotte Collins' parlour window calmed her mind and settled her spirits. The gently sloping lawn, which dropped pleasingly towards the laurel hedge, was framed by well-tended borders whose regimented rows of flowers were a testament to the diligent efforts expended upon them by their keeper. The diligent efforts which had formerly been expended upon them, Charlotte corrected herself. The flowers, and the lawns, and the laurel hedges would soon have a new master, and doubtless there would be alterations according to his tastes and indulgences.

That thought did sadden Charlotte. Although she could not say that she had loved life in Hunsford parsonage, perhaps the garden had been its most redeeming feature. She had spent little time in it, but had spent many hours admiring it, and being thankful for the occupation which it provided her husband. Her late husband, Charlotte amended again. For Mr Collins would no more walk the lawns, trim the hedges, or gather the prize blooms.

The funeral service had concluded some time earlier, although Charlotte herself had not attended. She had seen the empty hearse pass the house as it returned from the churchyard some minutes ago, but had yet to move from her stance at the window. She was reluctant to turn away and face the myriad duties which remained before her. However, her practical nature soon began to reassert itself and she began to list in her mind the tasks in order of magnitude and importance.

There were bills to be paid: notably for the bell ringing and the burial, in addition to the everyday expenses that had always been her domain. Then there were letters to write and interviews to arrange, not least the summons to attend upon her husband's patroness, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, at Rosings "at her earliest convenience." It seemed that the convention of a widow secluding herself from society need not apply if the alternative would inconvenience Lady Catherine. Charlotte had been summoned and Charlotte would attend.

Despite these pressing concerns, the first priority for her own peace of mind would be to undress the room in which, until an hour beforehand, Mr Collins' mortal remains had been lying. Originally Lady Catherine had encouraged her to have Mr Collins laid out in the parlour, but Charlotte had quietly rebelled and had had the coffin arranged in her husband's study.

"I was almost at the point of adopting exactly that arrangement, Lady Catherine," Charlotte had explained, most respectfully, "until I suddenly considered that the study is the only room in the house which offers a glimpse across the park to Rosings."

Lady Catherine had seemed momentarily disconcerted by this idea, and Charlotte had pressed home her advantage,

"You will, of course, appreciate the delicacy with which I say this to you, Lady Catherine, but the esteem in which my husband held you convinces me that Mr Collins would wish to spend his final moments in this house with his face turned towards the source of his, and indeed our, blessings and good fortune."

Charlotte had at first been concerned that the level of obsequiousness might have been excessive even for Lady Catherine's tastes, but true to form the latter had accepted the words without looking beyond them for any contrary motives or meanings.

Having always been possessed of a quick mind, Charlotte had learned early upon entering into her marriage that quiet subservience and a tendency to occasional periods of selective deafness were invaluable strategies in her dealings both with her husband and with his noble patroness. On this occasion her small victory had meant that her own sanctuary, the parlour room which had been almost solely her domain, would remain unchanged by the events which were altering all else in her world. The study, however, was now in need of attention.

The walls and ceiling had been draped in black and the curtains had been drawn, as had those across all the house, until Charlotte had dared to break another rule and open the rear parlour drapes in search of daylight. The coffin was, of course, no longer present, but the table upon which it had rested was still standing in the centre of the room, while the usual furniture had been pushed to the walls. With some little effort, Charlotte was able to pull most of the black coverings from the walls. The removal of the ceiling covers and the repositioning of the furniture would have to await the return of her father and brothers from the church, as her current _interesting condition_ made any exertion ill-advised and uncomfortable.

After the loss of her first baby before it had even drawn breath ("quite common, my dear, and certainly regretful, but not unexpected," as Mr Collins had termed it), Charlotte was determined that this child would be cossetted and protected and that no harm would befall it. Thus the study remained by necessity largely a room of mourning, however, the minor alteration to the décor at least removed the worst of the gloom from the apartment, and allowed her access to the shelves which lined the walls. Running her finger along a dustless row of volumes, she selected a worthy religious tome and returned to the parlour to redraw the curtains and await her family's return in the fashion of a conventional widow.

None would know that her heart sang rather than sank at the thoughts of what her future would now hold.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk across the park to Rosings was short, but Charlotte still keenly felt the absence of charity on Lady Catherine's part which had made it necessary. She was further chagrined by the absence of any offer to send the carriage to collect her, especially given her condition. She would have taken the gig, but it had been commandeered by one of her brothers that morning and she knew not when he might deign to return it. Besides, the walk had given her the opportunity to enjoy the fresh air for longer, and it also slightly delayed the interview, which she was sure would be both uncomfortable and unsatisfactory. However, allowing feelings of such a nature to show would doubtless be less than productive during the forthcoming hours and Charlotte schooled her face to the usual expressionless mask with which she chose to meet Lady Catherine on most occasions.

The consequence of her decision to walk, however, was that she was almost certainly going to be late. A secondary concern was that she was also unsuitably attired for the trip as, having been sequestered indoors for some days, she had not realised that the ground would be so wet. Her shoes and the hem of her black dress were showing evidence of her journey through the park, and she was feeling uncomfortably warm under the layers of fabric that comprised her widow's garb. Still, it remained satisfying to be outdoors, and she glanced around to make sure that she was unobserved before pushing back her veil and turning her face to the sun. She stood still for a moment and felt the heat and the slight breeze. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and composed her thoughts.

A noise nearby forced her eyes open with a start, spinning inelegantly she almost collided with a sturdy body whose arm shot out to steady her.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam, I thought myself alone in the park this morning, you catch me quite unawares," Charlotte stumbled slightly over her words as she attempted to wrench the uncooperative veil back into place, "I was suddenly short of breath from my walk and paused to collect myself."

"Please accept my apologies for startling you Mrs Collins," the Colonel replied, "I saw you from afar and was uncertain whether or not to approach you. My reticence seems to have resulted in my being more stealthy than I intended. Indeed, since my injury I was not aware that I had the ability to walk stealthily – I must truly be on the road to recovery if I managed to surprise you."

He seemed to suddenly realise that he was still holding her elbow, and dropped his hand quickly. He also realised that there were words to say that had yet to be stated, "I apologies again, Mrs Collins, my first words should have been to offer you my most sincere condolences on your very sad loss. Please allow me to insist that you avail yourself of any service of mine which might assist you, now or in days to come."

The offer was sincerely made, and Charlotte took it as such. The Colonel had always been a pleasant and kindly presence at Rosings, and she had occasionally caught a glimpse of a glimmer of amused camaraderie in his eyes directed her way when a particular folly of his aunt's had gone beyond the usually expected levels. He had also had the good grace to never show any such cognisance of any of her husband's similar imprudent conversational gambits. He had been, if not an ally, then at least the provider of a calm and sane alternative to the goings on at Rosings during his visits. Visits which had been too few over recent months, as he had been fully employed on the Continent, and then in convalescence.

"I go, as requested, to call upon your aunt, Colonel," Charlotte explained once she had tamed her veil and smoothed her skirts.

"And you walk? Mrs Collins, is that quite wise? The ground is not even and you could easily turn an ankle," the Colonel frowned in confusion, obviously also considering her other disabilities but reluctant to make any indelicate mention of them. He contented himself with saying, "surely my aunt could have sent her carriage."

Charlotte smiled at the genuine worry in his face, "Perhaps so, but the walk is not long, Colonel, and I believe that gentle exercise will be beneficial to my wellbeing. I thank you for your concerns though, they are greatly valued."

"Allow me at least to take your arm the remainder of the way Mrs Collins," he said, proffering the limb in question as he spoke, "we can then make the journey together. Although in truth, you may well be providing more support to me than I to you – my balance is not yet what it once was."

The Colonel's injury had been a severe one, sustained when a bridge had collapsed upon him and his men before the battle of Toulouse scarce two months before. He had been incapacitated for some time and had not been fit to return to England until a few weeks after the event. Now, as he had told her when they had last spoken at Rosings, the wound was healed, but the leg refused to co-operate as once it had done. He had expressed some frustration at missing serving at the end of the great wars that had been raging across Europe for so many years, but he had been mostly both sanguine and thankful that he had at least returned when so many had not.

The Colonel was always easy company, and even though their current conversation was constrained by the absence of vivacity that her widowhood demanded, they managed some commonplace and pleasant exchanges and Charlotte found the ensuing silences by no means uncomfortable. As they neared the house, the Colonel slowed his pace, and finally stopped, turning earnestly towards her.

"I do wish to repeat, Mrs Collins, that I feel the difficulty of your current situation most acutely, and you should know that, whatever the outcome of your interview with my aunt, I wish to stand as your friend and offer whatever assistance might be useful to you."

Charlotte smiled gently and gratefully up at him, replying, "I am more than obliged to you, Colonel, and assure you that I will not be reticent in asking should I feel that your offer may be helpful to me. Your kindness and friendship are greatly valued."

"Your late husband was…" he faltered, obviously struggling for the right form of words, after a pause, he continued, "he was of great service to my aunt and I know that she feels his loss keenly."

Again, he seemed at a loss to follow on from this. Charlotte felt that there was something being left unsaid, but could glean no clue from his demeanour what this something might be. However, allowances should be made, she told herself. Making conversation with a recently widowed woman was not an easy art to perfect, and the Colonel, charming as ever though he was, was also quite visibly uncomfortable. She did not press the point, simply laying her hand on his arm again and allowing their progress to the house to recommence.


	3. Chapter 3

The drawing room at Rosings was chilly, both in terms of temperature and in terms of atmosphere. The room was too large for the amount of heat that was being produced by the ill-stocked fireplace, and Lady Catherine's manner was even less warm than usual.

"You are late, Mrs Collins. I may not be able to give you as full an interview as I desired. Tardiness is insupportable in a clergyman's wife. Or indeed in one's widow. You have previously shown better attention in these matters. Allowances may be made by some for your pitiable situation, but you must not allow yourself to fall to slothful habits in this mourning period. Activity is the only way to proceed. Be busy even if you cannot, now that your role in the parish is diminished, truly be useful."

Charlotte warred with her temper and eventually won, but it was more difficult than usual to remain silent in the face of such utterances. She concentrated upon making sure that her muddy shoes were hidden under the front of her skirts, and composed herself to hear the rest of the lecture with a resigned air.

"Your husband, of course, made a settlement in your favour," Lady Catherine continued, "I thought it a somewhat injudicious one myself, but he does seem to have left you provided for. You brought little of material value to the marriage, I know, but you will likely emerge from this rather better off as he saw fit to leave a number of possessions to you in addition to your jointure. As such, I feel it unnecessary to be anything but blunt in discussing your future options."

 _Of course_ , thought Charlotte, _here we now arrive at the substance of the matter_. Aloud she said, "I will be as grateful as I always have been in the past for any guidance you wish to give in this matter, Lady Catherine."

"Indeed," Lady Catherine said, "you are a sensible woman and are likely planning your next steps as we speak. I simply wish to make it absolutely clear that the parsonage must be vacated promptly. I have already offered the living and expect the recipient to take up residence before this month's end. I need not say, I am sure, that I have no capacity at present to make you an offer of any other accommodation on the estate."

This did take Charlotte by surprise. Whatever else she had imagined, she had not thought that Lady Catherine would leave her homeless. Although she knew that she would have to vacate her home in the near future, she had never expected to be rushed out within a matter of days. Her countenance must have given away her thoughts as Lady Catherine continued,

"I mean not to be harsh, Mrs Collins, but women in your situation must learn to manage. I know that you are hardly friendless. You have a large family, many still residing wherever you originally belonged, and I know that you have other friends of considerable means who will be in a comfortable position to offer assistance. There is simply no necessity for me to act in this matter." Lady Catherine sat back in her chair, with a look that Charlotte was certain was both satisfied and smug.

 _Friends of considerable means_ , thought Charlotte, so _that is what this is all about. She still holds my support of Lizzy's marriage to her nephew against me. After all this time, she is finally able to exact her revenge_.

Determined to retain her composure, Charlotte found it within herself to summon forth a smile and reply calmly, "Of course, Lady Catherine, I fully expected as much. I have some final preparations to confirm, but you may be assured that your parsonage will be vacated before June departs."

Lady Catherine's eyes narrowed, and she seemed ready to press the matter, when her attention was suddenly caught by movement in the gardens outside. "There is my nephew now. I have never quite approved of the military, you know, but I suppose that younger sons must have some occupation. And at least _my_ nephew, can never be accused of having surrendered his noble manners to their detriment through mixing with his lesser creatures."

Charlotte presumed that this was another comment directed towards her own family. With two brothers currently serving in North America, she felt sure that Lady Catherine imagined them drinking and brawling their way across the globe, bringing disrepute to their parents wherever they went. She caught herself before making any response, and indeed she was surprised at the lack of restraint in her own thoughts. Charlotte had long schooled herself in remaining placid and calm in the face of any upset, and it was uncharacteristic for her to have to rein in her temper at all. _Perhaps the baby has a temper_ , she thought, and turned her mind to wondering if it would have a head full of her grandmother's fiery red locks to go with its temper.

"You are not listening to me, Mrs Collins!" Lady Catherine's voice broke sharply across Charlotte's repose, and she found herself sitting to attention. "You must not allow yourself to wool-gather in company, it is a loathsome habit and marks one out as being raised in quite an ill manner," she barely drew breath before continuing, "I believe that all useful business between us is now concluded, Mrs Collins. Please send my nephew to me as you leave. I have arranged that he spend the afternoon with my daughter and I, they have had so little time together recently, they will both welcome the opportunity."

Charlotte very much doubted that either party would welcome the arrangement. Witnessing their previous interactions at Rosings, she had noted that Miss De Bourgh seemed somewhat terrified of the Colonel's jovial manner and ready laughter, and he in turn had seemed polite as ever, but largely indifferent to making any attempts at conversing with her _. If Lady Catherine hopes to match that pair_ , Charlotte thought, _she had better hope the Colonel has severe gambling debts and can find no other wealthy prospect on the marriage market_.

She grimaced slightly as she stood, both at her own uncharitable and wayward thoughts and at the discomfort which the Rosings chairs increasingly caused her lower back. She bade a stiff farewell to Lady Catherine, grateful that this was likely the final time she would have to perform such an act, and departed to call Miss De Bourgh's unwilling (and quite possibly unaware) suitor to his station.


	4. Chapter 4

The following days passed too swiftly. Charlotte had indeed started to make enquiries with the aim of settling her own future plans before her interview with Lady Catherine, but she had not had adequate time to pursue any of the options available to her in any meaningful manner. The enquiries to agents regarding leases of suitable homes had only elicited a few, mostly inappropriate, responses thus far, and she was beginning to fear that her only option on leaving Hunsford would be to return to her parents' home at Lucas Lodge. This was not a future that she had envisaged for herself as she approached her 30th birthday, and she recoiled from the idea of having to raise her child under the, no doubt well-meaning, but still oppressive presence of her own parents.

She looked again at the letters and papers scattered across her small desk. She had calculated, recalculated, economised, and scrimped as carefully as she could, but still could not make her finances tally with any of the realities before her. By her most optimistic estimates, she would require considerably more than the £50 that was to come to her annually if she were to live in any kind of comfort. She sighed, and promised herself that she would wait one more day to see if any other letting agents responded with better options before contacting her parents to tell them to expect her return within the week. With everything done that could be done at her desk, she retired to her parlour to enjoy the last of the day's light and to watch the evening draw in quietly.

The next day did indeed bring several items by post, including three very welcome letters whose hand she immediately recognised. Lizzy Darcy's scrawl was not neat, and often took considerable ciphering skills to make out, but her letters were always worth persisting with as they brought much delight through her pithy comments about her neighbours, her family's antics, and her gentle mockery of her own foibles. Charlotte had wondered at not hearing earlier from Lizzy, but saw now that all three letters had been posted from different locations and some days apart. The family must have been travelling and the letters had obviously been delayed en route somehow. This was not an unusual occurrence in the parish, and Charlotte suspected that the delay had happened closer to her home than to the letters' source. Indeed she was quite certain that the only person in the parish who received their letters promptly was Lady Catherine. The other residents seemed to receive their post only when the local postmaster was not otherwise employed in his other businesses.

Charlotte determined to save Lizzy's epistles until last and first opened the other two items which had arrived. Both were disappointments. Both were from agents offering two delightful houses that were far beyond her means to take. She spent a few seconds imagining what it would be like to be able to accept either of them, before resignedly folding up the pages neatly and putting them in the growing pile of offers to be acknowledged and declined. With hopes of some distraction, she then turned to Lizzy's offerings.

The first was dated well over a week previously and began in customary fashion with some second hand news of various pieces of gossip gathered by Lizzy's younger sister Kitty about some of the residents of Meryton. Lizzy continued with some of the escapades of her own young son, who seemed to have inherited his mother's vivacity and his father's stubborn nature. As such, he was certainly keeping them fully occupied. The main body of the letter concluded with the welcome news that soon Pemberley would be graced by another young Darcy, as Elizabeth was increasing again. She wrote vividly of the fun they could have when next they met comparing their expansions. It was typically Lizzy and brought a smile to Charlotte's face.

The next letter was dated just two days later, and Charlotte could see before she even opened it that its author had, in the intervening period, been apprised of the change in Charlotte's situation. It was written on heavily edged mourning paper and conveyed her friend's condolences and expressions of sorrow at Charlotte's loss. It was beautifully worded, and though Charlotte knew that Lizzy had had few allusions about the realities of her friend's marriage, she had never once acknowledged them in voice or in written word, and she certainly did not make any untoward comment now. Lizzy's husband had also added his own words to the close of the letter, expressing similar sentiments to his wife. This letter concluded with the Darcys' regrets that they would be unable to come to Charlotte imminently, as Lizzy's own father had been suddenly taken ill the day before and they had been forced to rush to his bedside as matters appeared grave.

The final letter was dated just two days ago and had evidently made fine speed. The salutation was more cheerful and Charlotte was quickly assured that the danger to Lizzy's father had passed and the Darcys were now installed at Pemberley once more. Lizzy intimated that she had originally planned to visit Charlotte as soon as she had been able to settle her family at home, but that they had suddenly realised a better plan may be if they asked Charlotte to come to them.

"I can imagine, dear friend," Lizzy had written, "that a remove from your current abode, to be in quiet company with old friends and with the opportunity for fresh vistas and peaceful walks, might well lift your spirits and help you to heal. I am also aware that you will anticipate many alterations in the near future, and we would be so happy if we could offer a space in which you could consider your next steps in tranquillity and at your ease. There will, of course, be no society here, all will be quiet and as it should be for your circumstances. Do say you will come. We will send a carriage immediately that we hear from you. And we hope that you will agree to make your stay a prolonged one. Please write as soon as you can. I cannot wait to welcome you to Pemberley."

Charlotte contemplated the letter with some care. Lizzy was impulsive and her regard for societies' behavioural norms was sometimes somewhat lacking. Charlotte knew that, despite her assurances of quietude at Pemberley, some may well still look askance at a recent widow like herself embarking on such a visit in the immediate aftermath of her husband's decease. However, she was also aware that she had to go somewhere, and that time was increasingly pressing upon her. She considered her other, limited, options, and decided that a quiet removal to Pemberley could surely be accomplished with little attention and fuss. And she rationalised that, once there, she would lead such a quiet and retiring life that no one would be able to say that her visit was anything but restrained and proper. Besides which, she admitted to herself, she was bursting with curiosity to see Pemberley, and to feel the welcome comforting balm of Lizzy's friendship in person.

Yes, she would go. Lady Catherine had emphasised that Charlotte's 'friends of considerable means' could be of assistance to her, and they were indeed proving to be so. However, what Charlotte knew and what Lady Catherine de Bourgh would never understand, was that it was their considerable goodness and kindness that were of most value to Charlotte. That manner of assistance would always be alien to Lady Catherine's mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlotte was exhausted. The journey had taken almost three days and they were still at least an hour from their destination. Darkness was falling and her two companions were asleep, but Charlotte had dozed fitfully for much of the day and now found that sleep alluded her. Across from her within the carriage sat two of the highly respectable female staff from Pemberley; Mrs Reynolds, the Darcy's housekeeper and Anna, one of the upper maidservants. It said much for the Darcy's eagerness to see Charlotte suitably cared for on her journey that they had seen fit to spare both women for an extended period. They had made charming and attentive travelling companions, but three days in constant company with any unvarying acquaintances would have been trying, and that was before taking into account the added discomforts of a long journey, strange beds every night, and the slight motion sickness with which Charlotte had been troubled for most of the journey. While not enough to make her truly miserable, the combination was enough to make her vehemently wish that Kent and Derbyshire had been closer neighbours than they in reality were.

Despite this, Charlotte was more than thankful for the care that had evidently been taken in arranging her travels. The carriage was comfortable in the extreme, and signs of Lizzy's attentiveness were everywhere. All of the necessities that any lady could require for a long journey were present, along with extra cushions to increase Charlotte's comfort, and plenty of reading material (the sentiment of which was appreciated, but whose pages made Charlotte's head swim if she looked at them for more than a few minutes at a time). The journey had also obviously been meticulously planned, with rest stops and changes of horses scheduled with almost military precision, and all of the necessary accommodation already arranged in advance. All in all, Charlotte had never experienced a less troublesome journey, but she would still be more than grateful when it was finally over.

She looked out of the window into the growing dusk and became aware of the coach slowing. Careful not to wake the other ladies, Charlotte gently pulled the ties that enabled her to open the window and was about to lean out when the carriage suddenly drew to an abrupt halt. The jolt awoke the other ladies who looked about them in some confusion. Charlotte heard some muffled conversation from the two coachmen and the guard who were riding above, and then a muffled thud as one of them leapt to the ground.

"Nothing to concern you, ladies," came his voice, "but please do close the window and remain within for the present. We are simply taking some precautions." With that he was gone, and Charlotte heard sounds emanating from outside which hinted at the rifle that she had seen strapped to the top of the carriage being extracted from its holdings.

Anna began to whimper a little and Mrs Reynolds immediately tutted her into quietude. "Calm yourself child, there has been not a single _gentleman of the road_ within fifty miles of Pemberley in ten or more years. There is no need for any fuss from you." However, scarcely had the last been uttered when a shot rang out from a distance and two came back from overhead in return. The carriage took off at a pace with three further reports ringing out from above as they went.

Anna screamed, Mrs Reynolds leaned across and grasped Charlotte who had been propelled forwards by the carriage's sudden movement, and general confusion and disarray reigned for several minutes. Finally, the carriage slowed to a halt again, and the door was wrenched open by the senior of the two coachmen, who appraised them all anxiously. "Are you all quite well, ladies, is there any cause for alarm within?"

Charlotte struggled to remember the man's name, and was glad when Mrs Reynolds took charge, saying, "John, all is well here," she looked to Charlotte for confirmation of her statement and Charlotte nodded rather breathlessly in return. Mrs Reynolds continued calmly, "can you tell us what has occurred?"

"It is difficult to be certain, ma'am," John seemed uneasy regarding sharing the particulars, perhaps especially as Anna had once again begun whimpering in the corner. "That there was someone observing us from the woods, we had ascertained, and were able to arm ourselves in advance, but how many there were is uncertain. We heard only one shot and saw only one figure, but there could easily have been more hidden." Noting that this was not having a positive effect on Anna, who was now wringing her hands and weeping, John hurried on, saying, "there was certainly no pursuit. You may be assured that we are entirely safe now and, as it is scarce four miles to Pemberley, we shall be home within half of an hour."

In fact, within less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage was met by a party of five men on horseback riding hard from the direction of Pemberley. At first, the thunder of their approach had once again elevated the ladies' anxiety, but a call of "friends" from the roof, reassured them somewhat. The new arrivals comprised Mr Darcy's steward, and a number of the young men from the Pemberley stables who had been despatched after a frightened tenant had arrived at the house, reporting having heard gunfire from their direction.

Reassured that all was well within, the five men formed an escort around the carriage and the whole procession made quite a spectacle as it travelled through the village of Lambton and on to Pemberley where an anxious couple awaited their arrival on the front steps. Lizzy's relief and joy were unrestrained. Mr Darcy's greetings were less effusive, but he was no less obviously grateful of their safe arrival. After greeting Charlotte politely, he withdrew with his steward and the three men from the coach, and the four were quickly deep in discussion. Charlotte, feeling the exhaustion sweep over her now that the excitement had passed, was happy to take Lizzy's arm, listen to her warm chatter, and be escorted inside to the promise of a hot bath, a good meal, and a soft bed.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a rejuvenated and refreshed Charlotte who left her room the following morning. Spurning the kindly offer of breakfasting abed, she had risen and been dressed with great care by Lizzy's own lady's maid, Miss Evesham, who had firmly scorned Charlotte's apologies for putting her to additional work. "Do you know the length of time that I spend on the mistress's appearance in the course of a week?" she had asked, with a wide smile. "Less than half of that which I spent on my previous employers' in a single day! Mrs Darcy refuses to allow me to 'fuss', as she terms it, and half the time she distracts me with some nonsense and slips out of the room before I have half-finished doing her hair! In all candour, Mrs Collins, I am delighted to assist you as it gives me something useful to do other than flower arranging!"

Charlotte laughed along with Miss Evesham at this description of Lizzy, but she was in truth more than grateful for the help. She had managed at home with the aid of her own young maid (former maid, Charlotte recalled, as she had had to let her own small staff go upon leaving Hunsford), but Miss Evesham (or Joan, as she insisted Charlotte call her) was a different calibre altogether. Charlotte sat quietly as Joan performed feats of magic and illusion with combs and pins and powders and rouge and, with a light touch and a deft hand, turned Charlotte into something that looked just like herself, but softer, fresher, and younger.

"I confess myself astonished Miss Evesham…Joan," Charlotte corrected, "I can safely assert that I have never looked quite this…polished in my entire life. Why, I look almost pretty!"

"Pretty!" cried Joan in high dudgeon, "You are positively spectacular. And I took only a fine brush to that which nature had already provided. Really Mrs Collins, you must wear your hair more loosely like this every day, it softens your face and brings out the wonderful structure of your cheekbones. I allow that some artifice has been employed in helping to shadow a few areas here and there, and that a little rouge goes a long way to accent any lady's appearance, but I have only improved on what was already there."

"I may have to take you with me in my trunk when I leave Pemberley" sighed Charlotte, "as I know that I could never achieve in a full morning that which you have accomplished in less than an hour."

"Nonsense," came the rejoinder. "For tomorrow morning we shall begin teaching you how to do all of this yourself, and then, although I will be doing myself a disservice by giving away all my secrets, you will be able to look like this every single day."

Charlotte had thus left her room with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. She had reached the bottom of the stairs before she remembered that her current demeanour was far from appropriate for one in her situation. She stood shock still on the last step of the staircase and gave herself a very stern talking to. Yes, Mr Collins had been ridiculous, obsequious, and had possessed the oddest opinion of his own merits of anyone she had ever met. But he had also been attentive, kindly (in his own manner), and deeply concerned for Charlotte's wellbeing. She had known who he was when they had wed, and she was in some ways disappointed in herself that she was not feeling more than she now did at his demise.

He had been her husband for almost three years, and she hoped soon to bring his child into the world safely and securely to carry on his name and his line. She had known mortifications at his behaviour on occasion, certainly, but her own steady character had been such that the greater benefits of safety, security, and a settled life, had allowed her to overcome such moments and lead a peaceable and placid life with the man who had been her husband. She was confident that he had never suspected that she found serious failings in any of his actions, and this at least consoled her somewhat. _I was a good and decent wife to him_ , she thought, _and the very least that I can do in honour of the kindnesses that he continually tried to show me_ _is to make sure that I act appropriately as a grieving widow and stop all of this frivolous nonsense_. Thus self-chastised, she continued into the breakfast room to find the Darcys all assembled along with another familiar face.

"Charlotte, dearest," cried Lizzy, rising from her chair with alacrity and moving her young son from her lap into the arms of his aunt, Georgiana Darcy, "we did not expect you to arise so early." She looked to her husband with a slightly worried air, and to the other member of the breakfast quartet who was still seated with his back to Charlotte. He began to rise, along with Mr Darcy, at Charlotte's entry to the room. Lizzy continued, "with all of the upset last night I quite neglected to tell you that, although we are of course living very quietly for your sake at the moment, we have had another house guest this past week or more. An old friend of all of ours Charlotte, I am sure there can be no impropriety with his being here." Lizzy tailed off with uncharacteristic uncertainty as she saw her friend's expression.

Charlotte was in all honesty unsure whether to be pleased or dismayed. She did not want to appear rude, but she was also keenly aware that attending what looked as though it may be growing into a house party, was not quite the thing for a newly widowed woman. However, there was little she could do about it now, and collecting herself, Charlotte moved to greet the other party at the table. "My dear Colonel Fitzwilliam," she said, "of course, I am pleased indeed to see you here." Then she quickly stepped around to speak with Georgiana, "And I am sorry not to have made my greetings to you last night, Miss Darcy, I can only blame my fatigue and the upset that we had experienced en-route."

Georgiana had placed a squirming young Henry Darcy onto the empty chair to her left and stood with her hand extended to Charlotte, "Please, I beg that you might call me Georgiana, dear Mrs Collins. Why after all the times that Lizzy has spoken of you, I feel that we are closer to family than acquaintances." This was most prettily spoken, and Charlotte risked a glance at Lizzy, who was gazing fondly at her young sister in law. The latter's confidence had evidently grown since last Charlotte had met her, no doubt under Lizzy's tutelage.

Georgiana continued, "and I would like to offer my most sincere condolences in person for your sad loss, Mrs Collins. I can only imagine how difficult this has been for you." Her countenance showed that her sentiments were wholly sincere and Charlotte was grateful, both for the words and for the brevity of expression.

"Then I must be Charlotte to you, Georgiana. And I thank you for your kind words. I received your letter of condolence also, and was most grateful for it. You are so thoughtful."

Aware that the mood of the room was now low, as it could only be when discussing her recent loss, Charlotte determined to attempt to move the conversation forwards, saying, "I am so pleased to be able to make your acquaintance more fully Georgiana. I too feel that we already know each other well through Lizzy's letters, and I do look forward to seeing how much of her likeness of your character has been true and how much has owed to her particular skills of exaggeration and her artistic licence."

Lizzy seemed to catch her attempt to lighten the mood and threw a playful glance at her friend, "Charlotte, you know that I never exaggerate and that my sketches of people's characters are always accurate." At this, she looked across the table at her husband, who had his head slightly tilted to one side and a sardonic smile on his face. "Well, almost always." Lizzy concluded, primly. General smiles were exchanged at this and it made for a comfortable beginning to breakfast. The whole party continued in this happy manner until all had eaten their fill.


	7. Chapter 7

Charlotte had thought often of Colonel Fitzwilliam's words when last they had spoken at Rosings, and she realised that his fervent offer of assistance must have been made with at least a suspicion on his part of what his aunt's actions were to be. As such, Charlotte had increasingly felt herself more and more grateful for his kind offer, which had been made in the full knowledge that any actions he might make to assist in her wellbeing could easily prove injurious to his own interests at Rosings. She was anxious to make it clear to the Colonel that she bore him no ill-will for his relation's actions, and took her chance to express as much when next able to claim a private moment with him.

The ladies had been walking around one of the small lakes which scattered Pemberley's grounds, enjoying the warm summer sunshine, when they had espied Mr Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr Darcy's steward standing some distance away close to one of the boathouses, evidently engaged in serious conversation. Upon noticing their approach, the gentlemen had masked their worried expressions with varying degrees of success, and had advanced to greet the ladies. Georgiana had started a spirited conversation with Mr Peterson, the steward, with whom she was evidently on easy and excellent terms. Lizzy took her place beside her husband, and Charlotte found herself being offered the Colonel's arm as the party turned towards the house again. Seizing this opportunity, Charlotte had said all that was necessary to tactfully assure the Colonel that her opinion of him was in no way diminished due to the actions of his aunt.

With this subject quickly and satisfactorily concluded, the pair were at their leisure to speak freely, and found much of merit in the other's conversation. In former days, their chances to converse had always been limited by the presence of others, whose own personalities had tended to determine and dominate the topics of all discourse. Now, the two were able to quietly talk of the many matters of mutual interest that they quickly found they shared. Charlotte asked the Colonel about his recent experiences in Spain and France, and found him happy to recount some of the (she suspected more savoury and somewhat sanitised) adventures he had faced in the recent wars. He spoke movingly of the beauty of Spain, and the kindness of the people, and Charlotte was moved to express her own regret that she had never travelled far, nor was likely to. When the Colonel apologised for dominating their talk with, what he termed, an old soldier's ramblings, Charlotte was quick to protest,

"I have two brothers who passed some of the war in Spain and who are currently serving on the other side of the ocean, Colonel. I am more than fascinated to hear anything that might enlighten me further as to the type of lives that they are leading." Charlotte paused and took in the peaceful vista before her and sighed, saying, "my own life has ever been so quiet and retiring that I find myself astonished to think of the things that they will have done and seen: and both so young! I truly am more than grateful to see through your eyes some of the experiences that they may have shared in, and imagine the way their days have been spent."

The Colonel looked pleased to be thus encouraged, and they passed a pleasant half hour, walking to the rear of the rest of the party. When the topic of the military had been exhausted for the moment, they moved to cover literature and discovered a mutual fondness for the poems of Walter Scott. The Colonel also promised to lend Charlotte a copy of a book which he had recently obtained detailing the fascinating journeys of the explorer Mungo Park in Africa. Indeed, the two were so deeply involved in conversation, that they did not realise that they had fallen quite so far behind the others until Lizzy and Mr Darcy hailed them, having had to retrace their steps to find them, upon becoming concerned that they had not found them following immediately behind.

Charlotte felt herself to have been more than remiss once again. She was a widow of less than one month, and she was with child no less, but had been thoroughly enjoying herself in the Colonel's company. She took a stern look down at her black mourning garb and vowed to curb her behaviour to suit her circumstances. The Colonel evidently found his own sense of propriety to have been wanting also, as he apologised profusely for detaining Mrs Collins so long, "I am frequently been lectured by my friends, as Mr Darcy will no doubt attest, as a consequence of my making captives of my audiences! Mrs Collins, I must release you immediately and find another victim for my musings. You have been charity in itself in allowing me to run on so."

With which, the Colonel withdrew and took his place at Mr Darcy's side, leaving Lizzy to take Charlotte's arm and leaving Charlotte to pretend that she could not see the sideways glances that Lizzy kept making in her direction.


	8. Chapter 8

"Did you inform Mrs Darcy of the nature of our conversation earlier?" Colonel Fitzwilliam asked.

Mr Darcy nodded in the affirmative, "I have long since learned that it is futile and often dangerous to my well-being to attempt to keep any detail from my wife. She has methods of extracting information that would put some of your colleagues to shame, cousin."

The Colonel tutted but replied with a hint of a smile, "now, now, I can give away no particulars on that front, as well you know."

There was a firm knock at the Library door and, once bidden, Mr Peterson entered with a serious air and ill tidings. "It is as we feared, gentlemen, there have been reports of two other attempts made upon carriages in the area over the past few days. It seems clear that we have a problem upon our hands." Mr Darcy and the Colonel looked at one another, and then to the steward for further information. "Any casualties thus far?" asked the former.

"Thankfully none," replied Mr Peterson, "but if this continues it is likely only a matter of time before some catastrophe befalls some poor unfortunate."

"What success has been had by the criminals thus far?" asked the Colonel.

Mr Peterson grimaced, "that is the peculiar feature; both carriages have escaped unscathed, exactly as happened with that of Mrs Collins. It is most odd, especially as the second carriage was protected by only one man riding atop. Shots were fired, but nothing followed on from them. I cannot explain it."

Mr Darcy nodded, "It does not seem to make a great deal of sense, indeed, and it makes our task even more difficult. With no direct encounters, it is impossible to know how many we are dealing with or gain any clues as to who they may be."

"However, we do have one advantage," said the Colonel, "in that what we found in the boathouse must surely be connected to the attacks."

On the other side of the house, Lizzy, Charlotte, and Georgiana were gathered around a table in one of the china rooms, ostensibly sorting out which dinner service should be chosen as a wedding gift for an old friend of Georgiana's, but in reality sharing the fruits of Lizzy's interrogation of her husband earlier in the day.

"You appreciate of course, Georgiana, that all of the usual rules apply," Lizzy said.

"Of course Lizzy. As ever, so far as my brother is concerned, you have said nothing of any of this to me and I am completely in the dark as to anything meaningful that is happening around me!"

The two exchanged wry smiles, and Charlotte took pleasure in seeing the evidence of their closeness. Lizzy's presence in Georgiana's life had obviously changed many things for the better, and Charlotte gloried in the extent to which this Georgiana differed from the quiet, nervous creature who she had encountered on her visits to her aunt's at Rosings. Georgiana was turning into a vibrant young woman with wit and charm, and a mischievous streak that Lizzy was evidently encouraging at every turn.

"So, just what did they find in the boathouse?" asked Charlotte.

"It is quite shocking, actually," replied Lizzy, soberly, "it appears that someone has been hiding there unknown to us for some time. There were signs of someone having slept there, and also of some hasty departure fairly recently. But this does not seem to have been simply a passing vagrant. There were indications that some injury had been tended, and that the occupant had possibly been recuperating from serious harm there. The worst of it is that there are all of the indications that pistols had been oiled and cleaned, and that at least one horse had recently also rested there. There has been no suspicious behaviour amongst our own staff here, and so my husband surmises that the building has been occupied by some outsider with nefarious purposes."

"Purposes such as availing themselves of the contents of other people's carriages?" asked Charlotte, and Lizzy nodded, proceeding to tell them of the other attempts that had been made.

The women took their time digesting the news, and then spent an interval worrying about what the men planned to do next. Lizzy was firmly of the opinion that the matter should be handed over to the local magistrate, but explained that Mr Darcy felt obligated to do more than this as the matter so closely affected them. As such, she told the others, he had directed Mr Peterson to investigate further, and had enlisted the Colonel whose 'special skills' as Lizzy termed them, would be useful in tracing the parties involved.

Charlotte was thoroughly alarmed by all of this. "What is Mr Darcy about, thinking to try to track down and apprehend an armed man – or men – who may well be wounded and highly dangerous? And why are the other men so eager to go along with this? And what on earth are Colonel Fitzwilliam's _special skills_?" She looked to Lizzy for answers, but Lizzy only shook her head gently.

"I feel much as you do, Charlotte, but on matters such as these there is no arguing with my husband. He feels an obligation to those under his protection, and to all those who live on his lands, that I fear is in excess of his own sense sometimes. However, Mr Peterson is a steady man, and the Colonel is vastly experienced in such matters, and this gives me some encouragement. But, I fear that there is nothing to be done apart from to continually urge caution whenever we can make ourselves heard."

Georgiana took up the thread of Charlotte's other question and asked Lizzy, "are we at liberty to discuss the Colonel's position with Charlotte, Lizzy? It seems unfair to leave her with hints and riddles."

Lizzy considered for a moment before evidently coming to a decision. "Although it has never been expressly confirmed to either Georgiana or myself, we have had the opportunity to speculate widely on the Colonel's role in the recent wars. For a variety of reasons which are all too disparate in themselves to be worth explaining, we have come to the conclusion that he is not serving as part of the Engineering Corps as he purports, but that his duties are rather more…discrete, than that."

Charlotte's eyes widened as she took in the meaning that her friend was trying to convey. "Do you mean to tell me that Colonel Fitzwilliam is one of General Wellington's spies?"

Georgiana inclined her head, sagely, "yes Charlotte, we are quite certain that he is."


	9. Chapter 9

The atmosphere at Pemberley over the following days was somewhat strange and strained. The menfolk frequently took themselves off for secretive conversations, and the Colonel and Mr Peterson were often abroad, riding out early some mornings and not returning until well after dark. Lizzy was able to glean some news of their progress, or lack of it, to pass onto the women of the household, but for the most part the leads that the gentlemen were following turned into nothing solid, and there was little of substance to report. An air of watchful waiting descended upon the Darcys and their guests.

The preoccupation of the male section of the party left Lizzy, Charlotte, and Georgiana much at their own leisure, and most days found them enjoying quiet walks in Pemberley's fragrant grounds or employed at sundry small tasks in and around the house. Around a week after Charlotte's arrival she found herself the third party at breakfast with only Lizzy and her husband being present. She suspected that she may have interrupted something as Lizzy's hair was slightly awry, and Mr Darcy had leapt away from her and busied himself at the buffet when Charlotte had entered the room. Lizzy was all happy smiles though, and even more so when she received a note at the breakfast table that caused her eyes to light up. Charlotte noted the purposeful look that she gave her husband and the smiling nod that he sent her way in return and she marvelled at the unspoken communicative powers that the pair possessed. Her own marriage had, needless to say, not been marked by any such shared empathy. "Good news, Lizzy?" she asked, and received a gleeful smile in reply.

"A project that I have been anxious to complete has just been accomplished, so yes, extremely good news dear Charlotte! Indeed, it has been something of a secret, but I would very much like to share it with you. How would you feel were we to take a slightly longer walk than usual this morning?"

Charlotte acquiesced eagerly, "of course Lizzy, it is a lovely day. It will soon be difficult for me to walk very far, so I must make the most of my ability to travel under my own steam while I still can."

Lizzy laughed, "I am not so very far behind you in that regard Charlotte, perhaps we can get the gentlemen to push us around the grounds in wheelbarrows as we increase in size," she glanced at her husband who was shaking his head at her nonsense.

"I will leave you two ladies to your occupations. Do be careful of my wife, Mrs Collins, she appears to be in a facetious mood today and will no doubt lead you into mischief." He stooped to kiss his wife's cheek, murmuring, "do not walk too far Elizabeth, you know that you should rest for at least some of the day and not exert yourself excessively."

Lizzy leaned over to whisper a reply in her husband's ear, and Charlotte was sure that she caught the words _last night_ , _bedchamber_ , and _over-exertions_ in her reply, and noted that the top of Mr Darcy's ears turned a rather vivid shade of pink as he made a quick exit, shaking his head again.

"Excellent," said Lizzy, "now that we have managed to force my husband into retreat, we can commence our own endeavours. Gather your necessaries Charlotte, I will check that Henry is settled with his nursemaid and then I will introduce you to my project."

The walk that Lizzy led Charlotte on was indeed longer than their usual amblings. It was fully two miles down a well-kept path that Charlotte had not noticed previously and the ladies took their time, enjoying the views at various points. Finally, turning a corner, they came upon a sizeable house that was set back from the path on a slight incline, surrounded by a pretty garden and possessing enviable views across to Lambton and beyond.

"Are you planning on paying a call upon one of your tenants, Lizzy?" Charlotte asked, "Only, I am not certain that it would be proper that I should accompany you."

"No, no, dear Charlotte, do not worry, there is no-one living here at present. I merely brought you to see the property. It is the old Dower House and I have been having it renovated over these past few weeks. I thought that you might appreciate seeing the results along with me. I am terribly excited to find out if the workmen have been able to carry out all of my improvements satisfactorily."

"Of course Lizzy, this is a great treat," Charlotte replied, "I do love being able to wander through empty houses, it makes one imagine all of the people who have lived their lives within the walls. How many stories there must be in these old stones."

"It is not so very empty," Lizzy said, opening the handsome front door, "I have had some furniture moved here from Pemberley, we had attics full of beautiful things and it was making me sad thinking of them gathering dust in the darkness, so I have made it a project to bring this place back to life."

They walked into a bright and spacious lobby, from which several doors opened onto other apartments. A large staircase dominated the room, and Charlotte looked up to admire the glass cupola above them which sat atop a domed ceiling decorated with vignettes showing beautifully painted pastoral scenes. "Lizzy, this is stunning!" Charlotte exclaimed, entranced by the view. "Why on earth is this empty?"

"It has been in a slightly sad condition for some time, I am afraid, and Mr Darcy had quite rightly been prioritising upgrading the tenants' housing rather than spending money upon a Dower House for which we have no Dowager. However, I have made it my own entertainment to plan and direct the repairs and it certainly looks as though they have been carried out effectively. There were pigeons living here a month ago, and we seem to have evicted them!"

Charlotte and Lizzy wandered the house, peeking into cupboards, and examining all of the nooks and crannies that it offered. Some rooms still required work, but the principal offices and the public rooms were largely refurbished, and it was easy to see that the finished property would be delightful. Finally, they settled into two of the chairs in what appeared best suited to be a Morning Room, and rested their feet upon comfortable footstools. Charlotte was entranced by the property, "You must let this out, Lizzy, it will make someone a wonderful family home, and it deserves to be enjoyed and lived in. It feels like such a happy place, and it begs to be full of life and laughter. Do you have a tenant for it?"

"I certainly have someone in mind, Charlotte," Lizzy replied with a familiar glint in her eye, "Truth be told, Mr Darcy and I were rather hoping to persuade you to take it on."


	10. Chapter 10

"This is indeed a cruel jest, Lizzy, you know that I have nothing like the means to be able to afford somewhere like this." Charlotte exclaimed, feeling close to tears as she looked at all of the splendour around her. She felt the disappointment keenly, that her friend could be so unfeeling as to wave such a prize before her, when she must know that it was far beyond her reach. Charlotte made to rise, but Lizzy was quicker and rushed to kneel before Charlotte, taking her hands in her own.

"Charlotte, dearest, I am so sorry, I have gone about this all the wrong way. Mr Darcy told me not to rush this upon you, but when I saw how much you loved the house, I just wanted you to know that it was yours if you wished it. Please, let me explain properly what we are proposing."

Charlotte was too shocked to say anything and, as there seemed no chance of interrupting Lizzy anyway, she sat submissively and allowed Lizzy's explanation to pour forth. The idea, as Lizzy explained it, was that she wished to set up the Dower House as somewhere that tenants on the estate could send their children to be trained in service. Lizzy had seen that many of the tenants found it difficult to source places locally for their children to work and, while Pemberley required some new staff every few years, there were not nearly enough positions to satisfy the demand of those who would wish to fill them.

In addition, Mr Darcy could not have his home overrun with the chaos of raw recruits, and he had firmly rebuffed Lizzy's initial plan to try to create extra places for as many of the young folk from the estate as she could fit into the servant's quarters. What Lizzy now proposed to do, with her husband's consent, was to send three of the senior staff from Pemberley to work in the Dower House and to fill the rest of the positions there with young people from the estate who wished to pursue a life in service. They would be trained for a year, and then Lizzy would endeavour to see them settled either in vacant positions at Pemberley, or in other local establishments, where they would be valued as experienced staff. This would provide a secure future for those younger children who were not taking over tenancies from their parents, and would help to keep family members close to their homes (if this was what they wished).

"But," Lizzy continued, obviously in her element as she described her scheme, "for it to be an effective training environment, it must be a real household, with real everyday issues, and a real mistress who will oversee it all. And that, dear Charlotte, is where we would prevail upon you for assistance. We would ask that you take on the position as overseer as a favour to us. We would fully expect to cover the cost of staffing the household and we would wish to continue to fund the renovations, although leaving these to your discretion to commission. We do fully appreciated that the project may make for a sometimes chaotic household, so we do understand that it may not be an attractive proposition to you, but ask that you please would at least consider it, it really would be a tremendous comfort to me to know that one so capable was steering the ship of my great project."

Lizzy's enthusiasms tailed off here, and Charlotte took some time to assimilate all that she had been told. In truth she was not sure what to think of the proposal. Although she could easily see that she would likely come out of such an arrangement greatly in credit, she did not know if she was in a suitable position to take on such a responsibility. Neither did she wish to feel indebted to her friend who, despite what she may say to the contrary, had obviously at least partially dreamed up the scheme with Charlotte's straightened circumstances in mind. To be a poor widow was one thing, but to accept ongoing charity from one's friends was quite a thought. Charlotte asked for some time to consider the proposal, and Lizzy gladly acquiesced, "take as long as you need Charlotte. I just want to assure you that this is a real proposal, and that we are going to need someone to do this for us, I do so hope that it might be you. Please speak to Mr Peterson about it if you would like to hear another view. His nephew is one of our upper footmen, who we would be sending here to train the new staff. He has been instrumental in assisting me in preparing this venture."

Charlotte agreed, both to consider the proposition carefully, and to consult with the Darcy's steward, who had struck her as a sensible and capable man. The ladies left the Dower House in a quieter manner than that which they had entered it, both being pensive with much to consider and hope for.

It did not take Charlotte long to secure an interview with Mr Peterson, who impressed her further upon closer acquaintance as being a most steady character. She could see why the Darcys relied upon his judgement utterly in so many matters connected to their interests. Mr Peterson was a man of some forty years at least, and was many years widowed having four children ranging from a young boy of ten years, to a daughter of seventeen who was one of Georgiana's closest confidants. He was happy to speak with Charlotte at length about the merits of Lizzy's plan, and explained in some detail the finer points of how the project could be managed effectively for all concerned. Charlotte ended their conversation feeling both reassured about the success of the venture, and happy to have had the chance to speak further with Mr Peterson. She felt assured that he would be invaluable to her should she agree to Lizzy's proposal, and also felt that he was a man who she would be more than pleased in future to call a friend.

Charlotte promised Lizzy an answer by the end of the week, and spent much time in the coming days envisaging different futures for herself and her child. Whichever way she looked at it, she could see no more comfortable outlook for herself than that which awaited her should she take up Lizzy's offer. However, by the same token, she still felt not quite comfortable and delayed giving her answer until the last available day. On that morning, Charlotte took a walk alone across to the lake and happened upon Colonel Fitzwilliam deep in thought close to the boathouse.

"Mrs Collins," he greeted her, "you find me contemplating my lack of success as an investigator, I am afraid. I have reached the end of my inquiries and feel no closer to identifying or apprehending our miscreants than I was last week."

"I have heard no reports of further attempts, though Colonel, so perhaps you have succeeding in driving them away. That would be a success, surely?"

"I fear then that I may simply have transferred the problem to another's door, but at least we may begin to believe that we may travel safely on our own roads for the present time." The Colonel, stood silently for a moment and then seemed to shake off his gloom. "I must admit that I enjoyed, in a strange way, the occupation that my investigations gave me in recent days. I am not used to being idle, and have found time weighing heavily upon me since my return from the continent."

"What plans have you for the future, Colonel, now that you are so well recovered?" Charlotte asked, as they turned from the lake and walked back in the direction of the house.

"I must own that I am not certain, Mrs Collins. I can remain at home taking advantage of my half pay for the present, but that will neither satisfy my mind nor my creditors for very long. Not that there are many of the latter, I assure you," he amended hastily with a smile. "However, I must really find something useful to occupy my time soon or I may begin to grow accustomed to this idle way of living. And I should really settle myself somewhere if I am to remain in England. I am certain that the Darcys are coming to think I am setting up home with them!"

Charlotte laughed, "I very much doubt that you would take to idleness with any great aplomb, Colonel, and I know that Lizzy and Mr Darcy very much enjoy having you here. And I very much enjoy your company too," she risked, rather daringly.

He smiled down at her, and Charlotte felt the moment stretch as the silence between them continued. Finally she looked away and, catching movement across the park said, "look, there is Georgiana hailing us. Goodness she is certainly keen to attract our attention." Charlotte's mood changed as she caught the agitation in Georgiana's gestures. "Colonel, I think that something is wrong…" she began, but found herself speaking only to the winds as her companion had already set off at a run towards his young cousin.


	11. Chapter 11

Even had Charlotte been unencumbered by her current condition, she could still never have traversed the expanse of lawn separating her from Georgiana at anything approaching the pace that the Colonel achieved. With her usual levels of agility more than a little curtailed, it took her some minutes to reach Georgiana, who was in obvious distress. In the meantime, Charlotte had observed the Colonel reach his cousin, take both her hands in his own, exchange some few words and then, with a backward glance to check Charlotte's safe progress, take off again in the direction of the servants' entrance to the rear of the house. By the time Charlotte arrived at Georgiana's side, the latter had still not had a chance to regain her composure.

"Georgiana, dear, whatever has happened?" Charlotte managed, gasping for breath.

Georgiana was now crying in earnest, and only managed a few words which set Charlotte's stomach churning and turned her pallor grey, "Lizzy…the kitchen…so much blood…"

Charlotte was desperately torn, not wanting to leave the obviously traumatised girl before her, but beside herself with the desire to get to her friend's side as quickly as possible. It was with some relief that she saw the approach of Alice Peterson, the steward's eldest daughter, and was able to hand Georgiana to her care and make hasty progress in the wake of Colonel Fitzwilliam.

By the time Charlotte was in sight of the kitchen garden, she could already hear the uproar from within. Someone was crying piteously and loudly, almost drowning out the voice of Mr Peterson who was directing various people to various tasks.

"James, take two horses and fetch Dr Simpson immediately. He should be in his surgery this morning. Mrs Reynolds, please fetch water and towels and medical supplies. Anna, help her immediately. Colonel, would you be good enough to find Mr Darcy, please?"

The pot boy, James, and the two women were already speeding from the room by the time Charlotte gained the entrance. The scene before her was chaotic, and it took her some time to process what she was seeing. The first thing that she took in was Lizzy sitting on the floor with her hands and dress covered in blood. But before horror overtook Charlotte she realised that the blood was not Lizzy's own, but issued from the chest of a young man whose face was entirely unfamiliar and who now lay unconscious on the kitchen floor with his head in Lizzy's lap. In the corner of the room, a heavily pregnant young woman was being held steady by one of the kitchen maids as she sobbed grievously.

Charlotte dropped to her knees beside Lizzy and the Colonel, who had ignored the steward's advice and was examining the stranger's wound intently.

"I think that you would do best to send another for Mr Darcy, Peterson," Colonel Fitzwilliam said grimly, "I am afraid that without urgent attention this man will not long survive. I have some experience in similar situations and may be able to help him slightly until better qualified hands arrive. Charlotte," he continued, evidently forgetting himself in his manner of addressing her, "please can you help Elizabeth to rest his head comfortably on something other than herself, and then please both remove from here, you should neither of you be near this scene."

Lizzy made to resist, but Charlotte stood and took her firmly by the arm, raising her to her feet. "Let the Colonel do what is needed here Lizzy, please, we should attend to the young lady and to your apparel. You will cause your husband to have apoplexy should he see you like this."

Charlotte's words were too late, however, as the man himself was already rushing through the door calling for his wife. When he saw all that was before him, he had no hesitation in sweeping her up and removing her from the scene immediately, shouting instructions to the staff behind him, and leaving Charlotte to try to calm the traumatised young woman and to piece together what could have occurred.

It took some time after removing from the kitchen to the housekeeper's room for Charlotte to be able to calm the girl enough to get any coherent sense from her. From what she could gather, the pair lived on the estate neighbouring Pemberley, and the wounded man was her brother. Names were supplied as Sarah and Samuel, but few other details were forthcoming. Enquiries about the cause of Samuel's injury, or about the presence of a husband for Sarah or parents for the siblings resulted in much head shaking and more tears, and Charlotte deemed it best not to press her further at present. Amid assurances that all that could be done for her brother was being done, Charlotte managed to persuade the young woman to accompany one of the maids to a vacant bedchamber, where a bath and clean clothing were supplied in exchange for the bloodstained dress that Sarah was currently sporting. When the doctor arrived, Charlotte told the maid, he would be applied to for some form of opiate to enable the young woman to get some rest, something of which she was obviously in desperate need.

Charlotte took a few minutes to gather her thoughts and calm her highly disturbed emotions, before deciding on her next course of action. Lizzy was being cared for (or possibly forcibly restrained from further interference) by her husband; the Colonel would be doing everything possible for the injured man; Sarah was now quieter and resting as easily as possible in the circumstances; but Georgiana! Where was she, and who was looking after her? Charlotte felt guilt wash over her at the remembrance of how eagerly she had abandoned an obviously frightened and alarmed Georgiana to the care of her equally young friend, and rushed out to try to find her and make amends. Her progress across the lawn stalled quickly, however, when she saw that Georgiana was by no means short of supportive figures. To her great surprise and joy she saw that a newly arrived carriage had drawn to an abrupt halt on the path, and that its occupants had spilled out onto the lawn and surrounded Georgiana where she now sat. Happily Charlotte saw that calmness largely reigned. Alongside Georgiana, Alice, and Mr Peterson (who had obviously taken charge here) were now assembled Mr and Mrs Bingley, along with young Kitty Bennett who was engaged in hugging Georgiana and making her smile tentatively at some foolishness that she was evidently espousing.

Satisfied that nothing further was needed in this regard at present, and certain that the Bingleys would not take it amiss if she postponed her greetings to them, Charlotte made a smart turn and hurried back to the house, with the object of rescuing Lizzy from captivity and comparing notes on what they both had gleaned of that morning's dramatic events.


	12. Chapter 12

Lizzy was, as Charlotte had expected, proving troublesome to her husband. He had attempted to keep her apart from the drama unfolding in his household by sequestering her in the library with a servant stationed at the door. However, Lizzy had already outwitted her guard, and Charlotte found her stealthily making her way back towards the kitchen, followed by her long suffering lady's maid who was shaking her head and attempting to remonstrate. Lizzy, in turn, was blithely paying her no heed. Miss Evesham appealed to Charlotte as they approached,

"Mrs Collins, I believe that you may be able to exert greater influence over Mrs Darcy than I seem capable of. I do not believe that her husband wishes her back in the kitchen at this time."

Lizzy shot her a calculating look, "Yes, dear Joan, but I do not intend to go _into_ the kitchen, merely to pass quite close to the door, which being open will afford me wholly unavoidable access to the sights and sounds within. And my husband will never even know that I have been there if everyone would just stay quiet and not attempt to detain me."

Charlotte recognised the signs of Lizzy's stubborn temper of old, and shook her head, "Miss Evesham…Joan, I will stay with Mrs Darcy and make sure that she does cross the kitchen threshold. Please feel free to carry on with your own duties, it is better that I shoulder any censure that Mr Darcy chooses to deal out _when_ he finds out."

Miss Evesham's eyes twinkled as she replied, "Well, Mrs Collins, I am most grateful to you, of course, but I think I might be best to stay with you both. You never know when a good lady's maid's skills might come in useful, and I must admit that I am burning with curiosity to find out what on earth has occurred this morning."

Their adventure ended predictably, with the three ladies seeing or hearing little of interest, beyond being able to ascertain that the doctor had indeed arrived, before they were discovered by a harassed and somewhat irate Mr Darcy. He bundled them all off back to the library with many admonishments from him and much scorn sent his way by his wife in return. Thus temporarily defeated, the ladies went into retreat and gathered around a table in the library to share what information they had independently gleaned.

Lizzy had the principal role in the telling of events, as she had been the first on the scene as the drama had unfolded. She had been speaking with the housekeeper in the latter's quarters when they had become aware of some unusual disturbance in the kitchen. On investigation, they had found a scene of chaos before them. The young woman ( _Sarah_ , as Charlotte hastily informed the others) had evidently half supported and half carried the young man ( _her_ _brother, Samuel_ , Charlotte supplied) to the servants' quarters of Pemberley in desperation as he was obviously gravely wounded. How or why the wound had been inflicted was unknown, but the man had been on the point of collapse, and had indeed dropped to the ground seconds after Lizzy had entered the room. She had only a chance to examine the wound briefly before others took over, but she did say that it looked, to her untrained eyes, as if it was an older wound that had festered and reopened rather than one which had only just occurred. Miss Evesham looked somewhat nauseated by the description and the other two women smiled at each other in wonder at their superior constitutions for such details, despite their shared condition.

Charlotte continued, telling what little she had gleaned from Sarah, and Miss Evesham was then able to supply a few additional details. She was of the firm belief that she recognised Sarah who, if she was correct in her recollections, was quite alone in the world apart from her brother. The pair both had worked on the neighbouring estate until Sarah's condition had become obvious, and then they had been summarily dismissed. How they had been living between then and now was quite unknown, but there had been much talk in Lambton about them, and about Sarah's situation in particular. Understandably, but unpalatably, much of the interest had centred around speculation as to who was guilty of getting her into her interesting condition. The women's sympathies were all with young Sarah in her unfortunate position but, until they knew more of the full circumstances. They all recognised that anything further than sympathy would have to wait until calmer times prevailed, and had reluctantly agreed to peaceably await further news from the menfolk, when their conference was interrupted by new arrivals.

"Jane, Mr Bingley, and Kitty!" cried Lizzy, leaping to embrace them all, "why we did not expect you until tomorrow. You find us all at sea today – have you heard of our excitements this morning?"

Jane assured them that they had been appraised of events, and promised not to trespass long upon the residents of Pemberley at this trying time. Their visit had been designed with the primary purpose of depositing Kitty while the Bingleys continued north on a pleasure tour. As the Bingleys were such frequent visitors to Pemberley, there was no need to stand on ceremony and, after greeting Charlotte with both condolences on her loss and pleasure at her presence, they made themselves comfortable in short order. Kitty excused herself, explaining that she would find and bring cheer to Georgiana who had gone to make herself presentable again after all of the upset of the morning. The Bingleys stayed long enough only to exchange some family news and take tea, before continuing on their travels, leaving the Pemberley party quiet once more as they awaited the results of the doctor's ministrations.


	13. Chapter 13

While the ladies of the house had earlier been engaged with discussions of the unfortunate young Sarah's situation, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Darcy had had their own more troubling talk about her brother.

"I would by no means set myself as an expert in such matters, Darcy, and we should await the report of the medical man" the Colonel said, "but I do know a gunshot wound when I see one, and I would wager with confidence that it was sustained quite some days ago, healed imperfectly, and has now ruptured and laid the fellow low."

"I feared as much from the little you said while ministering to him," Mr Darcy replied, "You realise what this suggests, of course?"

"Indeed." the Colonel frowned, "There is little to be gained from jumping immediately to conclusions, but it does seem more than likely that such a wound must have been sustained in some malignant act, else why not have it attended immediately?"

Mr Darcy nodded, "I own that there could be reasons enough, but we must be cautious. We know of at least one criminal who has been shot at in recent days, and I would not wish the man's feeble condition to make us complacent of the fact that we may be harbouring one of those who attacked Mrs Collins and the others."

At this statement, the Colonel's expression hardened. "I agree unreservedly, Darcy. I suggest two men stand guard over him at all times until we get to the truth of the matter. If we do have the man who threatened Charlotte, and the others, in our grasp then I will not let him slip away from us now."

Mr Darcy's eyebrows rose, "Charlotte?" he enquired, and watched as his cousin's countenance changed dramatically. Confusion and some embarrassment reigned as chief of his apparent emotions, and the Colonel evidently struggled for some moments to form a suitable response before admitting,

"Dash it all, Darcy, I really do believe myself in some real danger here. She has certainly ceased to be Mrs Collins to me, indeed I can barely bring myself to recognise that man's name in any connection with her. She is barely half way through her mourning, she is increasing daily, and I am following her around like a dog, behaving with ever greater impropriety and no doubt causing her some significant distress."

He sighed, and passed his hand across his suddenly tired eyes, "I do not know what to do for best, Darcy. I know my feelings, but not hers. I know that her situation makes her as unlike any whom I am expected to choose as a partner as it is possible to be. I know also, that were I to act upon this, I can have no expectation of obtaining material comfort in the match. If your marriage was unpalatable to some of our relations, this alliance would mortify them. I know all of this, and I know that whatever I do, it cannot be decently attempted for a least a six-month, but I cannot seem to restrain myself from seeking her company."

"I had not realised that it had gone so far, Fitzwilliam. This is serious indeed. Serious and potentially ill-advised." Mr Darcy looked askance at his cousin. "Have you discussed any of this with the lady?"

"Good God no, man! I have not set propriety so far to one side as to proposition her thus!"

"That, at least, is something." Mr Darcy continued, "I know, Fitzwilliam, what it is to be happy in one's choice of partner, and to have achieved this by setting aside the objections of others. I would never counsel against an equally felicitous match for you, but you must consider the differing circumstances here."

The Colonel looked darkly at his cousin, but did not interrupt his discourse.

"Would your father provide for you, were you to marry one of so different a station to your own? You must know that her family is not one which would ever be expected to ally with one of the peerage in such close connection as that which you propose. She would one day be the sister of an Earl! This is a far greater leap for anyone's imagination to make than my alliance with Elizabeth ever was."

"She would be the sister of a poor Earl," the Colonel muttered shortly, "if that makes it any easier to stomach."

"It does not, cousin, and you know that. And that very point is the crux of the matter. What would you live on? We both know, thanks to our aunt's inability not to share her triumph at the lady's perilous situation, that Mrs Collins has very little materially to bring to any marriage at present. That may, of course, change in a very few months, but neither she nor you can rely on a male child either arriving or indeed surviving to inherit his father's interest in the Longbourn entail. I am sorry to be harsh, but you must be rational. We have the ability to give Mrs Collins a comfortable life here with us at Pemberley for as long as she wishes it. Would you wish to live along with her in our Dower House as some sort of poor relation? I rather doubt that that would suit your own pride. Think, cousin. Reason. I speak not just for your best interests, but those of the lady too. She has every chance of making an agreeable future here at Pemberley. Perhaps one day a suitable remarriage to one of her own station in life, but it surely cannot be to you, Fitzwilliam, there is simply too much standing in the way."

At this, the Colonel stood abruptly, and made to quit the room. "I understand all too well, Darcy. Do you think that I can have failed to grasp this already. I know what has to be done." He calmed himself slightly, and moderated his tone, "I know that your advice is fondly and rightly given and meant for the best. It is just so deuced difficult to turn such words into actions when they run so contrary to my every inclination."

Mr Darcy made to interrupt, but the Colonel would not give way. "I will stay at Pemberley until the current crisis is resolved one way or the other. But I must then away, it is too difficult to stay longer in the circumstances. I would that you might keep our conversation in confidence, as much as you are able to. Your wife will no doubt gain most of it from you in her own ways, but I would appreciate it if she could be prevailed upon not to relate any of it to Charlotte. It is best if I leave with her suspecting as little of my feelings as is possible."

With that, he turned and left the room, leaving Mr Darcy frowning, perturbed, and deep in thought.


	14. Chapter 14

The doctor departed Pemberley some hours later, but was unable to make any assurances regarding his patient's prospects in either direction. He had done that which he could, and was only willing to say that if the young man passed the next four and twenty hours safely, then his chances were so much the better. His second patient had been interviewed, and he had declared her to be in great need of sustenance and rest, but that little else other than anxiety apparently ailed her. The servants were directed to guard the one and care for the other, and the drama of the morning gave way to a quiet afternoon. With little else to occupy themselves while they awaited developments, the Pemberley ladies found the rest of the day stretching lengthily before them.

Charlotte was keenly aware that she owed Lizzy an answer to her proposal regarding her future, and turned her mind to considering it once again. She took herself out to the gardens in the hopes (although she scarcely admitted such to herself) of encountering the Colonel and seeking his thoughts on her quandary. Seeing a figure in the distance, Charlotte made towards it, but found on closer inspection that it was not the man she sought. Mr Peterson, however, was by no means an unwelcome substitute, and Charlotte made her presence known as she approached.

Mr Peterson was evidently engaged in some form of survey. He was measuring and noting various findings on pages which Charlotte could see were full of almost indecipherable hieroglyphs. When she interrogated her companion about their meanings, he explained that it was Mr Darcy's desire to have a hedge maze created in the grounds, ostensibly for young Henry, and his future siblings, to enjoy. Mr Peterson confided, however, that he was quite certain that it was primarily for Mrs Darcy's enjoyment as she had returned from her last visit to the Bingleys' estate full of enthusiasm for the maze already established on their property. Charlotte could well imagine that Lizzy would enjoy getting lost with her husband within the privacy of such a creation, and she felt her face heat at the direction her thoughts had taken. Really, this must stop, she chastised herself. She had never previously allowed her imagination to run to such things when she had been living as a married woman and now, being a very pregnant widow, this did not seem an opportune time to begin fixating upon debauchery in the shrubbery! It must be her pregnancy that was making her so flighty, she told herself, resolutely pushing back the thought that the presence in her life of a certain dashing Colonel might have something to do with her new preoccupations.

Charlotte gathered herself sufficiently to answer Mr Peterson's enquiries regarding her health in a vaguely sensible manner, explaining away her flushed cheeks with a delicate allusion to the fact that changes in temperature seemed to affect her more extremely these days. Her companion was all solicitude and encouraged her to seat herself in a nearby shaded arbor. Taking her arm, he proved himself to be not unfamiliar with the myriad bothersome aspects of Charlotte's current condition, as he reminisced fondly, "It used to take my Mary much the same way, Mrs Collins. She would be cold as ice one moment and then demanding all the windows open the next. I always used to say that it was because she was having to regulate the temperature of the oven to cook the little one within, if you'll pardon my frankness of expression?"

Charlotte smiled, and replied that she herself did feel somewhat like a simmering cauldron sometimes, and that she feared she was starting to resemble one too. It was pleasant to be able to allude to her condition in the company of someone other than Lizzy, and Mr Peterson made for a straightforwardly agreeable and engaging companion. Charlotte was uncertain whether it was quite proper to discuss her increasing with someone outside of her intimate circle, but Mr Peterson was all ease and affability and, as he said himself, he was not a man to skirt around topics when plain words would promote better understanding. He owned that, "with four of my own safely delivered, and two others now sadly with their mother, God rest her, I must own that there is little that I have not seen or heard with regards to the circumstances of new arrivals, Mrs Collins, and I see no shame in decent discourse about it."

Charlotte privately agreed, but she was aware that she was already skirting on the bounds of propriety and made a tactful change of subject, turning the conversation towards the plans for the Dower House and her own potential role in the venture. Mr Peterson was happy to expand upon their previous discussions and they spent a happy half hour chatting about the potential for good which such a venture could bring to the estate and its occupants.

"It has great potential for good for me too, Mr Peterson," Charlotte owned, as they walked back towards the house. "I am more and more of the opinion that I would be indeed a fool to turn away from such an opportunity, but I do balk somewhat at the thought of being so wholly dependent upon the goodwill and charity of my friends."

Mr Peterson nodded,

"I quite understand your feelings, Mrs Collins, but it is my opinion that the benefits extend back towards the Darcys in almost equal measure. Remember that Mrs Darcy is determined to undertake this project, and Mr Darcy is equally determined that she should not overstretch herself in devoting too much time to it. In you they have someone who they both trust implicitly to oversee matters as well as they could do themselves. If you choose not to undertake the task, they will have to find and direct someone else, and even then it will take time to build trust that whomsoever they engage is doing all that ought to be done. I firmly believe, Mrs Collins, that the situation is beneficial to all, and it will also give Mrs Darcy the pleasure of having a neighbour with whom she will be more than delighted."

Charlotte admitted that his arguments were persuasive, and that they largely mirrored her own conclusions. Mr Peterson concluded their walk with a final piece of advice,

"If you are at all uneasy, then why not have some formal agreement drawn up, perhaps with a defined trial period after which either party can withdraw, that way all will be safe and easy should you find that the reality matches not the imagined situation. But I would urge, if you will allow me the presumption, that you do seriously consider giving a positive answer to Mrs Darcy. I feel myself that there is none other so well suited and qualified for this, and I am confident that the role itself is well likely to give you much satisfaction."

Charlotte had little to offer counter to these suggestions, and thanked Mr Peterson for his openness and candour. They parted cheerfully and Charlotte determined to spend no further time considering the matter, but sought out Lizzy immediately to give her the good news. The latter's response was as joyous as may be expected, and the pair found ample occupation for the remainder of the day in planning and scheming for the venture's successes.


	15. Chapter 15

The following morning brought the return of the physician who pronounced his first patient likely out of danger, although still not yet conscious. He was more concerned with his second patient, however, from whom he had been unable to glean any information about the progress of her own confinement. He confided to Charlotte and Lizzy that he suspected that her time must be very near, and that he could find no indication that she had had any medical examination during her pregnancy, or that she had any idea of what the culmination of her condition would entail. Lizzy immediately volunteered to speak with Sarah about what awaited her, but Charlotte intervened here advocating an alteration to that plan.

"She is terrified, poor thing, and having the grand lady of the house – for such you are Lizzy – descending upon her to lecture her upon the realities of childbirth, may be too much for her. Would it not be wiser to arrange that the monthly nurse that you have secured for our deliveries be called in at the earliest convenience and that she should attempt to gain the poor girl's trust and impart the necessary informations to her?"

Lizzy looked unconvinced, but Charlotte persisted, "Think about it Lizzy, is young Sarah not more likely to feel easier with someone closer to her own station in life than she would with either of us. In all earnestness we can surely know little of her day-to-day life and experiences; we may even make matters worse by attempting to force her trust and confidences. Do you not think that she would be more comfortable making any necessary enquiries to the nurse rather than to either of us?"

Lizzy could not in the end but acquiesce to such good sense, but declared herself determined to provide kindness and succour to Sarah, and stated that she planned to visit with her for at least part of each day that she was abed. Charlotte found no fault with this and suggested that they both make the effort. With the solution agreed upon, the doctor left them and went in search of a conference with the menfolk, while Lizzy hurried to make the arrangements to bring the monthly nurse to Pemberley with all speed.

Mr Darcy, Mr Peterson, and Colonel Fitzwilliam were next on the doctor's visiting list, and the three men listened with interest to his surmises regarding the wounded man. His account confirmed much of what the Colonel had earlier suspected. There seemed little doubt that the wound was at least ten days old and that attempts to allow it to heal with the lead shot still lodged within had failed catastrophically and brought on the recent crisis. The doctor had removed the bullet and was able to report that a recovery should be expected, although the man may never perhaps be as strong as he would otherwise have been. Much more than this he could not say. In common with his sister, the man was undernourished and in need of rest and recuperation.

With regard to the sister, the doctor had more delicate information to impart, and he did so directly,

"I feel it incumbent upon my conscience to inform you that, in my opinion, there is a strong likelihood that the young lady's condition came about in circumstances contrary to what decent people would expect and wish. I need not, I am certain, elaborate further, gentlemen. It is a subject that is not fit for discussion, but you may feel it necessary to inform some of those who care for her as the presence of those of our sex seems to cause her no small distress. Yesterday she was clearly unhappy at my being anywhere close to her. I judged it best then to make no examination of her, and naturally attributed her response to the emotional trauma resulting from her day. However, she became highly animated when I attempted to persuade her to allow me to undertake any examination this morning, even in the presence of your most respectable housekeeper."

The gentlemen digested this information with varying degrees of disgust and outrage. Mr Peterson was the calmest of the three and departed to speak with the housekeeper discreetly while Mr Darcy thanked the doctor for his assistance. The latter finished his report by saying,

"I do not wish to make any presumptions, you understand, but the young woman's time appears to be fast approaching, and if there is a chance that she should be delivering here then I would strongly encourage that a midwife is procured to assist with the birth. The presence of a male practitioner, such as the one who I know has been arranged for your wife and Mrs Collins, would likely cause immense distress to her."

With that, the physician took his leave and the Colonel and Mr Darcy were left to consider the ramifications of his diagnosis. Mr Darcy looked askance at his cousin,

"well, that settles that then. I shall have to tell Elizabeth, as she will no doubt draw the same conclusions as the doctor when she interviews the young woman. And Elizabeth will, in turn, insist that she should remain here until the birth. And we will be in the unfortunate position of having to tell a traumatised young girl with a new baby that she is utterly alone in the world as we have handed her brother over to the magistrate as a suspected highwayman. I cannot say that this situation looks to have any conclusion that will satisfy anyone concerned."

The Colonel felt less charitable regarding the young man's fate, still being much affected by thoughts of the potential harm that could have come to the occupants (one more so than others) of the carriages upon which attempts had been made. But before he could voice his feelings, Mr Peterson rejoined them, bringing with him a suggestion of his own,

"I wonder if I might be permitted, gentlemen, to make a few discrete enquiries of my own among the local populace regarding the former characters of these two, before you make any decisions about how to proceed? I am aware that, until the young man awakens we can get no very easy answers, but it may prove useful to gather some preliminary information before any questions are put to him?"

Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam were by no means averse to the idea, and Mr Peterson further explained,

"I must own that I have some small knowledge of this pair myself as their parents were among those who applied at various times for tenancies upon your property, Mr Darcy. They were respectable enough people, if I recall, but were unlucky in the competition for places and never were successful. We all know under which conditions our neighbouring estate is kept," at this Dr Darcy frowned darkly, and Mr Peterson hurried on, "and I would say that the parents' attempts to better their situation do at least speak well for them. I do not know if the children inherited their parents' respectable ways, but I do know that there was some talk in the village against our neighbour at the time of this pair's eviction from their home, and I would like to investigate matters further if possible."

Such was agreed to with alacrity by Mr Darcy, and even his cousin could see little harm in the action as delay did not appear potentially dangerous in this case. The Colonel was quietly convinced that they held in one of Pemberley's bedchambers the culprit who had eluded their prior attentions, but he was by no means an unjust man, and was content for evidences to be gathered to allow a fair assessment of the position. They agreed that two days' worth of enquiries would likely be sufficient, and expected that their 'guest' would by then be awake and able to answer questions. After this, it was judged, they could hand him over to the magistrate, clear in conscience that their actions had been reasonable and judicious.


	16. Chapter 16

The next few days passed relatively speedily for the ladies, but for the gentlemen it was time primarily spent in frustrated anticipation of news. Mr Peterson was not to be seen at his usual duties, but was absent from dawn till dusk paying visits and making tentative enquiries. He refused to report any intelligence back to the interested parties until his investigations were completed, and Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Darcy had to content themselves with other matters until the two days specified for this task had elapsed. The men spent their time in very different ways. The Colonel tried to keep a discrete distance from the ladies and their pursuits, spending much time out of doors on long solitary rides across the countryside. Mr Darcy was much more fully occupied with attempting to prevent his wife from running herself ragged as her enthusiasms seemed to demand that she be constantly _doing something_. If he was not retrieving her and the other ladies from attempting further renovations at the Dower House, then he was persuading her not to spend all of her time with young Sarah, for whom she seemed to have developed an almost motherly affection. The final straw came when he discovered her atop a ladder in one of the attic rooms determined, as it would appear, to cover herself in as much dust as possible while wrestling with an oversized trunk.

"Good God, Elizabeth," he berated her, once he had unceremoniously removed her from her perch and placed her firmly on the ground, "have you run mad? What in the world are you about, and why does it need to involve you being alone in the attic swaying from a ladder?"

To his immense surprise, Lizzy summarily burst into tears. This was not an event which happened with any regularity in the Darcy household, and Mr Darcy was somewhat taken aback by this sudden storm of emotion from his usually self-possessed wife.

"Elizabeth, dearest, whatever is the matter? You know that I am not angry with you, I was alarmed, not enraged. Please do not distress yourself." He took her gently by the arm and pulled her to sit beside him on a nearby trunk.

"Oh, foolish man, you haven't made me cry in years. You know me well enough to realise that I simply shout back if you shout first." She made an effort to smile at him reassuringly. "No, I just feel so terribly for poor Sarah. She has nothing at all, and her baby must be near due, and her only family may not live much longer, and what will she do then?" Mr Darcy made to interrupt, but she placed a finger on his lips to stall him. "I will own that I may not be quite myself, I think that my condition is making me feel things more than I ought, but I do fear for Sarah's future, and her baby's. I know that there are old baby clothes up here from Henry's infancy, and I simply wanted to get a few for Sarah for when the time comes. The baby will need something to wear."

Her husband enfolded her in his arms, "Dearest Elizabeth, Sarah and her baby shall have anything that you wish to give them. But we have an army of servants who are here to do exactly this sort of thing," he waved at the ladder and the half dislodged trunk hanging precariously from the shelf. "Please, you must think of your own safety. And the safety of the one you carry within."

Elizabeth acquiesced with only mild protest, and her husband continued, "Sarah's brother does not seem to be in danger of relapsing now anyway, so she may not be left as friendless as you seem to think. Things are not so hopeless for her."

"Do you imagine that my brains have been addled along with my emotions? You must think us womenfolk simpletons indeed if you imagine that we do not know of what you suspect her brother. I know not what you have Mr Peterson doing, I can only imagine that he is gathering whatever evidence you see as being necessary before handing the case onto the magistrate. It seems a desperate case whichever way it is approached. But the one certainty is that Sarah will suffer, and her suffering will doubtless be severe."

Lizzy's eyes filled with tears again, and her husband made to comfort her, but was rebuffed. "I do not need placated. I need to be active. I understand your actions, and I do not blame you for what seems certain to happen to the young man, but I must for my own conscience do what I can for his sister. I do, however, promise not to act foolishly. If you will summon help for me, then I will go through this trunk once it is firmly on the ground."

With a fond, sad smile at his headstrong wife, Mr Darcy withdrew to do her bidding, knowing that a partial victory in the matter of the trunk was probably the best that he could hope to achieve. He shook his head as he departed, willing the hours to pass more quickly and bring closer the time of Peterson's report. The upset in his house was not to be allowed to continue any longer than was necessary; he simply wanted the matter concluded, one way or the other.

While Lizzy was wrestling with her son's cast off clothing and her own emotions in the attics, Charlotte had retreated to her rooms along with Miss Evesham for one of their now regular 'consultations' as the latter had termed them. They had, by tacit agreement, not made any of the other inhabitants of the house aware of these stolen sessions where Joan introduced Charlotte to the hidden mysteries of hair curling, cold creams, milk of roses, and the careful application of rouge and white powder. The aim, as Joan described it, was to help Charlotte to achieve improvements by such tiny increments that no one would attribute any changes to anything other than the natural glow of her condition. Thus they would avoid any possibility of outsiders accusing Charlotte of being frivolous in her mourning period.

Charlotte was not feeling any particular glow, but was simply increasingly exhausted and also becoming larger than she imagined possible. She had begun to wonder if the calculations as to the time of her confinement were awry as, although only a month ahead of Lizzy, she was certainly larger by some considerable degree. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and determined to attend to today's lesson, which involved a bandeau and some very complicated arrangements which Joan seemed to achieve effortlessly, but which Charlotte knew she would turn into a bird's nest on at least her first six attempts. Their tutorials had brought the pair closer together in recent weeks, and Joan had become more than a helpmeet to Charlotte. Indeed, she firmly hoped to persuade Lizzy to allow Joan to come to the Dower House with her when the time came. Charlotte's reverie was broken as she realised that Joan had asked her a question and was now obviously awaiting a response. With apologies for her inattentiveness, Charlotte asked for her enquiry to be repeated.

"Woolgathering again Charlotte? What would Lady Catherine De Bourgh say?"

Joan, Lizzy, and Georgiana, had long since been appraised of the details of Charlotte's last visit with Lady Catherine, and it had become something of an ironic joking matter, once their outrage at her treatment of their friend had abated somewhat. "I was asking whether Mrs Brown had been able to glean any information from young Sarah yet as to her circumstances."

Charlotte shook her head. Mrs Brown was the monthly nurse who had arrived the previous afternoon. Charlotte rather bitingly noted to herself that, when one was as wealthy as the Darcys, there seemed no barriers to getting people to drop everything and attend upon one in a matter of hours! However, she quickly checked the ungracious thought and attributed it quite correctly to her own tiredness and uncertainties about the future. Thus identified, she put the feeling away in its rightful place – in the very back of her mind, and not to be revisited.

Mrs Brown had turned out to be a sensible and straightforward widow of middling years who had set immediately to work trying to gain Sarah's trust. "She has shared little with us yet," Charlotte told Joan, "but I suspect that Sarah will warm to her and that we will learn more in short order. Mrs Brown was able to learn that her parents had both been carried off by fever some seven or eight months ago, indeed she has just come out of mourning for them. More than that, we do not yet know."

Joan looked at Charlotte thoughtfully. "How long has it been for you, Charlotte, I lose track of the time?" Charlotte surprised herself by having to count the months in her mind. She really should know how long her husband had been gone for without having to think about it, surely! She was somewhat taken aback by the result. "It has been three months now. I will own that I am unsure whether it feels longer or shorter than that. In some ways I feel that he has been gone for quite some time. So much has changed in these three months. But in other ways I feel that I have only just donned my mourning clothes."

Charlotte studied Joan's face behind her in the mirror. "What are you thinking, Joan? I can see schemes building behind your eyes."

Joan smiled back at her. "Not schemes as such, merely suggestions. It is entirely up to you, of course, but it may be that we could soften your mourning attire a little now that the first months have passed. I am not, you will understand, suggesting anything like a move to half mourning, but the addition of a little subdued lace to some of your gowns, and perhaps the disposal of the widow's cap for other slightly more attractive headwear, might now be permitted. You are lucky in that your complexion is not overly dimmed by solid black, but some variety and some softening around the neck area would do wonders."

Charlotte was uncertain as to the overall propriety of such a move, but owned that she was more than a little tired of her drab attire, and allowed herself to be persuaded to give two black gowns up to Joan's attentions for some subtle alterations, and further to abandon her widow's cap unless she was venturing out among strangers. She resolutely refused to acknowledge in any way that her decision was influenced by any desire to look more attractive to any member of the household barring herself, and justified the change with the entirely practical rationale that solid black crepe and heavy caps were in no way comfortable for a woman in her condition in the hot late summer weather. However, when left to her own devices, she went rather furtively to her wardrobe and pulled out the three half mourning dresses that she had recently ordered with Lizzy's help. Running her hands over the softer and lighter fabrics, she willed the next three months to pass swiftly, knowing that by the time her child was delivered she would be able to wear them and be more open about the joy that life and living brought to her.


	17. Chapter 17

At length evening arrived. The gentlemen gathered in the library to confer and the ladies were left to their own devices in the drawing room. Lizzy had bid her husband a negligent farewell when he had left the room to attend to _matters of business_ (as he was terming them) and the women sat quietly at their various tasks for around five minutes. At the chiming of eight on the clock, all the inhabitants of the room rose as one and went out quietly into the hallway where they met Miss Evesham. She directed them to follow her, and they all made for the back stairs and ascended to the first floor. A small door afforded them access to a linen room which, while large for a cupboard, was a snug fit for five grown women. Lizzy and Charlotte seated themselves on two of the lower shelves, while Joan, Kitty, and Georgiana wordlessly found spaces where they could. Silence reigned as Joan carefully bent to the floor and silently loosened a floorboard with a practiced air. Lizzy took it from her and placed it gently on the shelf beside her. All waited patiently and at length they heard slightly muffled, but quite audible voices from the library below as the gentlemen welcomed Mr Peterson's arrival. Lizzy smiled triumphantly and whispered gently, "this room is another little matter of which Mr Darcy thinks I am quite unaware. It really does prove most useful."

Meanwhile below, being quite unaware of their audience, the three men were talking with some candour about the situation in which they found themselves. Mr Peterson's report was mixed. He had found ample evidence of the respectability of Samuel and Sarah's family, who were of the name of Parker and who had lived on the neighbouring estate for some three generations at least. He had also heard disquieting rumours surrounding the circumstances of Sarah's pregnancy.

"I need not go into all of the details, gentlemen, but the prevailing feeling in the village is that the young lady was the victim of a most grievous and unforgivable assault whilst in service at our neighbour's house. And I may further say that the finger of suspicion falls not upon any of her own class."

Mr Darcy paled, "Then who is the culprit?"

"I can prove nothing, but the sequence of events seems thus," Peterson continued. "Sarah took a position at your neighbour, Mr R-'s, establishment when her parents first became ill. She was engaged as a kitchen maid and by all accounts was efficient and quick to learn. It was expected that she would not long remain in that lowly position but would rise to above stairs tasks in short order. However, after about a month she appeared no more at the house and the staff were told that she had been dismissed for spreading evil rumours about the family. The servants remain close-lipped about the circumstances, but more than one of the female staff looked grievous ill when speaking of it."

Colonel Fitzwilliam grimaced, "I think I can imagine the conclusion of this part of the tale."

"No doubt, sir, but I feel I must present it all regardless. The girl's brother was next involved in some sort of altercation at the house. Again, I could get few details, but the sympathies of those I spoke to seemed to be more with him than with other parties. At around the same time, both parents were carried off by the fevers that had afflicted them, and the two children were almost immediately evicted from their home. They lived, I know not how, but certainly were not taken in by other tenants on that estate – the landlord made it clear that anyone sheltering them on his lands would share their fate. I suspect that they found friends in the village for some time, but that they could eventually trespass no longer on the charity of others and that they have been sheltering in some of the empty properties on the Pemberley estate for some weeks."

Mr Darcy nodded, adding that in addition to what they had found in the boathouse, one of the stable lads had reported that same day that he had thought someone had broken into the old gardener's house on the other side of the lake. "It would not have made a commodious home," Peterson noted, "but it is very remote and would have given them some shelter."

"My braver informants hinted further at the cause of Sarah's misfortunes," he continued, "although none openly made accusations, it was pointed out by several that Mr R-'s son, who already had a somewhat unsavoury reputation, was unexpectedly despatched to oversee the family's plantation interests in the West Indies within a matter of weeks of all this upset, despite his father's earlier intentions to keep his only son at home. The impression is given that there was some irretrievable break down in their relationship, and it seems not unreasonable to attribute its occurrence to the matters that we have been discussing."

Mr Darcy appeared shaken, but stoic in his acceptance of Peterson's surmises. Colonel Fitzwilliam, however, was particularly incensed, and muttered something about _getting off easily_ , and made dark reference to the prevalence of a wide range of often fatal illnesses in the tropics which might be employed by a just God to right certain wrongs.

Mr Darcy was more practical. "We are all in agreement that a great injustice has been done to both the Parker children and, even had I not already given my wife assurances regarding Sarah's care, I would now press for us to take steps to ensure her future comfort as far as is possible. However, we have not yet touched upon the second matter which brought Samuel Parker particularly to our attention. What have you learned in this regard, Peterson?"

"I am grieved to say that the situation appears to be largely as we feared, sir. I spoke with a close associate of the young man's who was rather alarmed when I mentioned the penalties often applied to those who harbour criminals and highwaymen in particular. I thus got much of the sorry tale from him. I know not if its accuracy is complete, but it seems to ring true in most regards."

Peterson related his informant's tale, which was, in essence, that Samuel Parker, made desperate by his situation and by his sister's condition, had determined to somehow get enough money to allow them to leave the county and start afresh somewhere new. He had been unable to obtain employment locally due to the evil reputation spread about him by Mr R- and had told his closest friend that he felt he was left with no option but to take from those who had taken everything from him. The estate house was too well protected, but he had apparently planned an alternative strategy to rob carriages that were heading for Mr R—'s property, justifying his actions as some sort of repayment by that family to him. However, Mr R- did not get many visitors, and Samuel had told his friend that he was going to have to make a move soon, or else he would have nothing even to feed his stolen horse upon. According to Mr Peterson's information, Samuel had intended to pursue only those carriages which were likely to be undefended, and hope that his brandishing of a weapon would be enough to encourage the travelers to part with their belongings without cause for violence. However, he had proved to be an inept highwayman, and both of his early targets had espied and escaped him without him even getting close to the carriages. The final attempt had been upon the Pemberley carriage, and Peterson's informant had been unable to tell him anything of this, although it seemed clear that this too must be Samuel's work.

The men fell silent as they considered all that they had heard. Above them, there was much more agitation. Georgiana and Kitty had drifted closer together as they had listened to the words from below, and Georgiana's small hand was now clutched tightly in Kitty's own grasp. Joan was busily replacing the floorboard as quietly as she could while Lizzy motioned that they should all leave their current station and reconvene downstairs. Charlotte looked pale and ill, but followed them out onto the landing. Once there, she took hold of Lizzy's arm anxiously. "Dearest Lizzy, it was I who was one of the victims of this young man's folly. Should it not be I who influences what is to happen to him. God forgive me, but I cannot see him hang."

"Do not fear for a second, Charlotte," Lizzy replied with a fierce look in her eyes. "We are about to conform to one of society's expectations of our sex and act as better angels upon the menfolk's nature. And if we cannot influence them by fair means, then we will extricate the young man from his present situation by alternative methods. Follow my lead, it is time to beard the lions in their den."


	18. Chapter 18

Being unaware of the impending invasion of their conference, the discussions had resumed in the library. Colonel Fitzwilliam looked gravely at the others. "I acknowledge my sympathies, most particularly for the young lady, but also somewhat for her brother. But he attempted a violent attack upon our own people. The unthinkable could have happened. What if a shot had gone astray. What if the carriage had been overturned? Think what might have resulted from such an upset. I am an advocate of mercy where it is merited, but the consequences of his actions could have been extreme indeed. I cannot counsel other than that we hand him over immediately to the magistrate and allow justice to be served."

"I am inclined to agree…" began Mr Darcy, but further information about his inclination was cut off by the sound of footsteps in the hallway and the entrance of four rather determined looking young women into the library. Lizzy headed the group, and was flanked by a somewhat upset Charlotte, an excited looking Kitty, and an obviously nervous Georgiana. Miss Evesham had withdrawn from the party, as befitted her position in the household, but the others had not balked at the thought of accompanying Lizzy and Charlotte on their mission.

"Elizabeth, whatever is going on, is something the matter with Henry?" Mr Darcy was at a loss to think what other calamity could have occasioned such an entrance. He was relieved and bewildered when Elizabeth assured him of the contrary before enlightening them as to the purpose of their interruption.

That the gentlemen were surprised would be to understate the matter severely. Mr Peterson was the first to respond, with the pertinent enquiry as to how exactly they had come upon all of the information that was evidently at their disposal. Lizzy looked only slightly abashed as she looked significantly to the ceiling and explained that Mr Darcy really shouldn't have given her his mother's diaries to read if he did not want her to know all the secrets of his house. Her husband in turn looked astonished, "I had no idea that mother knew anything of that particular trick. It certainly explains rather a lot about her ability to keep one step ahead of my father in many matters."

"Yes, yes," Lizzy replied impatiently, "and I quite well realise that I have just given away a distinct advantage by letting you know that I am aware of the favourable acoustics of the linen closet. But I am sanguine, and shall simply have to develop other tactics for future instances when you are reluctant to share information with me."

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked suspiciously close to smiling at this exchange, but evidently recollected the more serious aspects of the matter at hand and his expression fell once more to a somber countenance. He faced all of the ladies, but his eyes focused primarily on Charlotte as he told them, "I understand your concerns in this matter ladies, but you must accept that the crime is most serious in nature and that it could quite likely speak to a criminal tendency in the man's character that must not be allowed free reign."

Charlotte could not restrain herself. "Or he is a young man whose life has been ruined by matters far beyond his control and who was driven to ill-considered desperate measures because no one in this parish was willing to help him to address the wrongs done to his family."

"That is unfair, Mrs Collins, we cannot be held responsible for not assisting those whose sufferings we know naught of." Mr Darcy was affronted at the implied slight, but Charlotte was undeterred, continuing, "They took refuge in the village for months. They hid on your estate for weeks. Mr Peterson by his own admission said that he had already heard of some of their misfortunes, but everyone was too willing to believe the stories put about by one who was judged to be their superior to do anything to find out more or to extend Christian charity towards them."

Charlotte's tirade was ended only by Lizzy's taking her arm gently, saying, "Charlotte, I do not know that this is the way to persuade them."

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked in wonder at this new side to Charlotte's personality. He could never have expected such ferocity from one who seemed to placid on the surface, and he was put in mind of a lioness that he had once seen in the royal menagerie at the Tower of London. He should have been alarmed by the alteration, but he could not help but admire the passion of which it bore evidence. His former vow to keep himself, and his emotions, as far out of danger from her as possible, began to waver once again in her presence, and he allowed himself to deconstruct in his mind all of the arguments against forming an attachment to such a woman as Charlotte.

Observing that the Colonel was evidently much preoccupied and not about to give voice to his opinions, Mr Darcy attempted to gently reason with the ladies, but found himself now facing his wife's arguments as well as those of his guest. Opposition to his wife's wishes was not something that Mr Darcy bore with any ease or pleasure, and when his sister added her tentative voice to the pleas for clemency, he found himself unable to withstand their entreaties. He looked to Mr Peterson for assistance, but found only a sympathetic eye. Unwilling to concede all to the ladies, Mr Darcy proposed a compromise measure that he hoped might placate all until cooler heads prevailed.

"We make no decisions today. The doctor visited again this morning, and reports that Mr Parker is now recovered to consciousness and may be well enough to be questioned by this evening. I propose that we allow him a hearing; that we ask for his explanations and his motivations, and ascertain as best we are able the likelihood of this being a temporary transgression rather than an indication of a criminal weakness of character. If we judge that he can be rehabilitated, and if we are able to discover that no harm has actually befallen anyone due to his actions, then we may act accordingly. But I reserve the right to pass the matter to the magistrate should we have any doubts on any aspect of his actions or character."

Colonel Fitzwilliam looked as though he might protest, but a glance in Charlotte's direction quieted him. "We three will speak with him?" He asked, nodding to Mr Darcy and Mr Peterson. "And if any one of us is unsatisfied then we refer the matter in its entirety to the magistrate?"

"And we two will witness the interview," Lizzy interjected, taking Charlotte's hand, "and we will brook no argument on the matter."

None of the menfolk looked pleased at this demand, and Mr Darcy made to speak but Lizzy looked him directly in the eye adding purposefully, "unless, of course, your previously agreeing with me that women are as capable of rational thought and judgment as men was simply a design to placate me, and not representative of your true feelings on the matter?"

At this Mr Darcy withdrew his opposition, having early in his marriage learned that in some battles with his wife, surrender was the only honourable and safe action.

There was a general relaxation of the strained atmosphere in the room that was evident to every party, and Elizabeth took both of her husband's hands in her own and kissed his cheek, whispering a _thank you_ , to him privately. Charlotte risked a glance towards Colonel Fitzwilliam to see how her uncharacteristic outburst had been received but found herself quite unable to read the steady, pensive gaze that he was directing towards her. Feeling some degree of discomfort at being the subject of such concentrated thought, Charlotte withdrew to sit with Kitty and Georgiana who had established themselves on one of the sofas by the fire to recover from (and discuss in whispers) the excitements.

Calm returned, however, it did not long reign in the room, for a loud knocking at the door almost immediately interrupted the calm that had followed the arguments. Kitty moved to open the door to admit a flustered young maid, who stumbled over her words, evidently unaccustomed to addressing such a large group. "If you please ma'am," she managed at length, "Mrs Brown has directed me to ask that the midwife be sent for. She believes that Miss Sarah's time has arrived."


	19. Chapter 19

It was not an easy labour. Sarah was obviously petrified, despite Mrs Brown's best efforts to prepare her, and she struggled through hours of difficulty and pain. Mr Peterson, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr Darcy all, one after the other, found tasks elsewhere which necessitated their removal from the house for the duration as, large though Pemberley's walls were, Sarah's distress echoed along all of its hallways for much of the night and well into the following day. Lizzy, who had experienced a relatively easy and quick first childbirth, was quietly horrified, and both herself and Charlotte could not help but consider their own forthcoming _happy events_ while they waited for news from the birthing room.

At length, and after finally getting an exhausted Sarah to agree to a doctor being present, a baby's cries were heard rather than the mother's, and Lizzy and Charlotte breathed a little more easily when the midwife emerged to tell them that mother and daughter were both safe and well. "Nothing that rest will not solve ails her now," was the report which was carried to her anxious brother's room. "She will be kept quiet and calm for a few days and the monthly nurse will take care of everything."

With the immediate crisis over consideration returned, along with the gentlemen, to the matter of Samuel's hearing. Colonel Fitzwilliam suggested that he should be confronted immediately in his room, but the ladies rebelled once more, demanding that he be permitted the courtesy of being allowed to make himself presentable and to appear before them in the library. Some further delay was caused by the doctor's approval being sought for this arrangement, but at length the young man was brought before the judging panel of the Pemberley party and faced them with a nervous but steadfast gaze.

It was immediately clear, even to the Colonel, that this was no hardened criminal, and a few questions were enough to establish that Samuel himself had been terrified by what he had attempted. Desperation had given him the courage to try his desperate scheme, but conscience and fear of consequences had prevented him from carrying through any of his attempts. He wearily described how he had not even intended to fire upon the carriage which had carried Charlotte and the others, seeing it immediately to be well protected and obviously bound for Pemberley. It had simply been his inexperience with a weapon that had led to the discharge as he attempted to withdraw into the trees. He had been caught by a return bullet in the aftermath and had struggled to the shelter of the boathouse only to find his wound worse than he had imagined. Eventually forced to use the last of his strength to return to the derelict cottage where he had left his sister sheltering, he remembered no more of the following fevered days until he awoke at Pemberley.

Samuel swore that he had hurt none in any of his attempts, and that he had taken nothing. He concluded brokenly, "I could not protect my poor sister. I could not avenge the wrong done to her. And in the end I could not even provide for her. Whatever punishment is seen fitting for me, please do not involve her in my shame. She knows nothing of this scheme."

The gentlemen needed little deliberation time to agree that, subject to no contradictory evidence being brought forward, they were justified in offering clemency on this occasion. Further, Mr Peterson suggested that there was ample work for a young man who was obviously skilled with a horse in the Pemberley stables, should Mr Darcy feel so inclined to make an offer. The latter needed little prompting on the matter, having been stung by the accusations that Charlotte had cast his way earlier, even if he still felt that they were largely unjustified. He made a promise to himself, however, that he would do more in future to establish something of the conditions on his neighbouring estate, as matters there were obviously grave and could easily spill again in future over the boundary to impact upon affairs at Pemberley.

Charlotte and Lizzy expressed themselves satisfied with the judgment, and Samuel was beyond astonished by the offer of employment. His gratitude was beyond measure, and Mr Peterson was quite convinced that they had likely just secured themselves one who would in short order become one of Pemberley's hardest and most loyal workers. The ladies were tactfully ejected from the room, with the promise exacted not to return to their earlier listening post, and the interview turned to the circumstances of Sarah's condition. Samuel was overjoyed to hear of her safe delivery, and was promised a visit would be allowed to her the following day. On the origins of her situation, Samuel was initially reticent, but finally found the courage to set the tale before them in all of its horror. The details were such that they prompted Colonel Fitzwilliam in particular to pale, first in shock, and then in outrage against the young creature (he hesitated to even call him a man) who could inflict such barbarity and shame upon a defenceless young girl.

The gentlemen were all of the world, and knew well enough what things went on beyond and behind the doors of civilised society. But that it should happen next door to them, inflicted by one of their own rank, and unpunished by the father who should have seen justice done and the young lady protected in the first instance, or at least provided for after the event. "I knew Mr R—to be a poor landlord and an unfriendly neighbour, but I never imagined this of him." Mr Darcy's outrage was quieter than the Colonel's, but no less ardent because of it. He thought deeply for a moment. "And the son is gone to the Indies? That is certain, is it?"

Mr Peterson nodded in the affirmative, and the Colonel spoke up, "I have a number of connections in that part of the world. I can make immediate enquiries regarding his situation there. I can also make certain that none of sense or standing have anything to do with him."

"I have heard that the family's interests in the Indies are not faring well at present," Mr Peterson replied. "It may well be that the son's presence there is already making its mark. However, beyond this, I see not what else is to be done. With the culprit overseas, and none here apart from the victim and her brother to accuse him, I do not see that redress can be had at present. Perhaps if he were to return to these shores…"

Samuel became alarmed at the turn of the conversation. "Sarah cannot testify against the man. She refused outright when it happened, and has continued so to do ever since. She could not be made to relive the experience, and besides, he made threats, I believe, that were so vile that she has not even told me their full extent." He stumbled here and made an obvious effort to find the appropriate words to continue. "I am of the belief that the threats involved not just Sarah, but also me, and more particularly the child when her situation became clear."

Again, the other men were aghast, but found little useful or polite to say in response. The Colonel gave vent to some particularly colourful language, and Mr Peterson shook his head sadly; his own eldest daughter was of an age with Sarah and his stomach churned at the thought of what that young lady had had to endure. The conference concluded, with Mr Peterson removing with Samuel to install him in more suitable quarters at the stables, and the Colonel leaving for a long walk which would, he told the others, hopefully allow him to expel most of his ill feelings before dinner. Mr Darcy looked to the ceiling, reasonably confident that his wife would have obeyed his entreaty not to resume her eavesdropping, but uncomfortable now about how much he would have to divulge to her later on this grim topic.

He need not have feared. By the time he was in a position to speak with her once more, she was able to tell him with a pale face but composed manner, that she and Charlotte had heard much of the story from Sarah's own lips already when they had gone directly to speak with her about the offer being made to Samuel. Elizabeth and Charlotte had been shocked, sickened, and saddened, but despite what their menfolk may have liked to imagine, they were well enough acquainted with the realities of life to be aware of the existence of such actions and circumstances. Charlotte made protestations against the lack of retribution against the culprit, but was eventually reconciled to the reality that the only course of action at present was to support the victims rather than to pursue to offender. She contented herself with taking Lizzy to one side to make plans to secure Sarah and her daughter's future.


	20. Chapter 20

Sarah recovered more quickly after her confinement than any had thought possible. Within the week, she was able to rise and tend to her daughter herself. The child was to be named Elizabeth Charlotte Parker, in honour of her protectors, and Sarah herself was seen to be so capable with her own baby and with young Henry Darcy that she was soon engaged as a part time helper and nursemaid in the Pemberley household. She confessed herself the happiest that she had ever been, and doted upon her daughter, protected Henry with ferocity, and worshipped the two ladies. Samuel soon settled to a life in the stables, and all proceeded quietly as Charlotte prepared to depart for the Dower House.

Lizzy made attempts to dissuade her from leaving so soon. "Why not wait until your baby comes, dearest? You know how much I enjoy having you here, I will be quite at a loss without you"

"Please do reconsider, Mrs Collins," her husband joined his wife's appeals. "You seem to be a singularly steady influence upon Elizabeth. I would swear that I have not found her once up a tree with Henry or in a race with one of the hounds since you have arrived here. I fear that without you she will revert to her previous hoydenish ways and that all hopes of raising a family in propriety will be lost forever."

This earned him a well-aimed bread roll to the temple from across the breakfast table, which was an unfortunate example for Elizabeth to set, as her son quickly emulated it. "You see!" cried Mr Darcy, withdrawing from the room in mock terror, "it has already begun!"

Charlotte, Kitty, and Lizzy dissolved into laughter as Georgiana attempted to remove additional missiles from Henry's hands. "I will own that I have not lived like this before in my life Lizzy," Charlotte admitted, "and I have not laughed as much in the past year as I do now in a week here at Pemberley." She stalled at this, growing suddenly serious.

"Forgive me, but that is part of the reason that I must go now. I must remove myself from Pemberley before I grow too accustomed to being here. I am not meant for gaiety and jest at present. I must try to observe proprieties and also take some rest for the sake of my health. This child weighs heavily with me, and the doctor has advised me to seek quietude and a tranquil environment. Besides which," she continued as Lizzy made to interrupt, "you must understand how anxious I am to be established in the wonderful home that you have provided. I am beyond excited to begin my life there."

Lizzy grumbled some more, but had no suitable arguments and conceded with the warning that Charlotte would still have the Pemberley ladies' presence inflicted upon her daily. Charlotte laughingly acceded that this would be no hardship to endure and all was fixed for a removal later that week.

Although reluctant to admit as much, Charlotte's urgency was also motivated by more private concerns. At length she confided in Lizzy, who was not reticent in voicing her own observations upon the subject when the matter of Colonel Fitzwilliam was tentatively raised.

"Dearest Charlotte, I congratulate myself on being an astute judge of the characters of men (and women), and it has been more than obvious to me for some time that the Colonel takes more than a detached interest in your wellbeing. You should know that I have previously thought him one of the most composed and even-tempered of men, but have seen him roused to anger on more than one occasion lately in connection with circumstances affecting you. The influence that you have over him is notable. And I do not think that it is to overstep myself to say that two people better suited in temperament could scarcely be found."

"Oh Lizzy, do not speak such!" Charlotte implored her friend. "Everything of propriety is against such a thing."

"Nonsense," Lizzy said, calmly, "admittedly nothing can be achieved at present towards such an end, but there is nothing that says that a young widow cannot have friends, and there is nothing to say that, after the customary respectable period expires, that such friends could not become more to each other."

"It is not only that which stands in the way, Lizzy, don't you see?" Charlotte indicated her ever increasing waistline, and said forlornly, "he is the son of a peer of the realm, in what possible reality could he be expected to love and marry the poverty stricken widow of a clergyman. A widow with a child no less?"

"More outlandish matches have been made in the past," Lizzy replied, "you remember, of course, Lord A—and his sister's governess?"

"Of course I do Lizzy, but you seem to have forgotten that they are now never seen in London in season, and that he is no longer received by his family or by most of his own rank."

"In many instances that is not something to be mourned," Lizzy said tartly. "I imagine that there are certain relatives from whom Colonel Fitzwilliam would be only too pleased to be estranged."

"I will not pretend not to understand who you mean, Lizzy, but that is another most crucial part of the argument against me. The Colonel is not a wealthy man. He has said as much to both of us on different occasions. All of his hopes for future security will come from marriage, and his aunt has her heart set on a match between him and her daughter. And what an eligible match it would be for him. Think of the worth of Rosings. How could I stand between him and such a future?"

Lizzy made to interrupt, but Charlotte would not give way. "No Lizzy, I have been always in the past pragmatic. I know my station in life. It is my role now to protect and raise my child, not to submit to romantic fancies that could ruin more lives than my own. I am quite determined."

"But you do love him?" Lizzy framed it as a question, but added an air of pleading to her tone.

"I feel for Colonel Fitzwilliam more than I believed it was possible to feel for anyone. When I am with him, I feel like a different me has stepped out from behind dull, practical Charlotte. She sparkles, Lizzy. She feels like laughing at everything and nothing. I like her. I hope that some of her might stay with me even when I have removed myself from his company. But it is because I feel so much for him that I cannot allow these…fantastical whims…for that is what they must remain, to overcome my sense. To ask him to submit to such a change in his circumstances as an association with me would carry? No, this would be too much. It could not be done by anyone with good conscience and good sense, and it will not be attempted by me."

Lizzy took both of her friend's hands in her own and looked set to remonstrate with her further, but Charlotte lifted her tear filled eyes and begged silence. "Please Lizzy, allow me to leave and allow me to mourn quietly. God knows that I have more to mourn for now than ever I had before."


	21. Chapter 21

Colonel Fitzwilliam's confusion and vexation grew with each day that passed in the following week. As he watched Charlotte prepare to leave for the Dower House, he became increasingly aware that her manner towards him had altered subtly, and that her previous warm glances now fell rarely upon him. He sometimes looked up and gained the distinct impression that her eyes had moments earlier been upon him, but he was rarely able to catch them and all attempts to make contact with whatever was going on behind them failed utterly. He could not account for it. It seemed perverse that just as he had decided to dismiss his cousin's warnings and allow his own feelings to take the reins, that the object of his affections should suddenly spurn him. For that was exactly how it appeared. He was certain at least that she was avoiding him, as he had not been able to be in her company without the presence of others for some days. Where previously, she could often have been found wandering the grounds alone, or pursuing some solitary occupation within the house, she was now permanently in company. She seemed attached at the hip to one of the other ladies at all times, and the Colonel had had little more than a polite _good morning_ or _good evening_ from her lips since the day of the 'trial' in the library.

He was confounded by the alteration, and at a loss over what to do about it. Finally, the day of Charlotte's removal to her new home was upon him, and he was determined to act. To his surprise it was Lizzy, who he had always secretly suspected knew something of his feelings on the matter and approved of them, who was the final almost insurmountable barrier to his being able to speak with Charlotte alone. She lingered with her friend in the Drawing Room as all of the removals were being undertaken and ignored all of the Colonel's pointed remarks about the benefits of a walk, or his musings about where the other members of the household might be and whether they might need her. At length, he was forced to invent some scrape that Henry had gotten into and which necessitated his mother rushing to find her son and chastise his bad behaviour. Colonel Fitzwilliam said a silent apology to the child in his mind and made a note to buy him an outrageous amount of confectionary to compensate for the unwarranted telling off that he was doubtless about to receive.

However the ends, he felt, more than justified the means, and he was at last able to gain Charlotte's undivided attention with none present behind whom she could hide. He attempted humour first, which met with a placid but cool response and an attempt by the lady to quit the room. This first foray being a disaster, he reverted to an earnest attempt to engage her on formerly conducive conversational topics. He attempted her plans for the Dower House; a comment upon Sarah's wellbeing; a sideways gentle jibe at one of Lady Catherine's many eccentricities; but none bore fruit, and he was eventually reduced to desperation, saying,

"Mrs Collins, Charlotte, I am sorry for the nature of my address, but it is Charlotte that you are to me now. Dear Charlotte, I greatly fear that I have in some manner offended you. You must allow me to tell you how far this is from being my intention. Please tell me the nature of my indiscretion and allow me to correct it, or apologise, or do whatever is necessary to see you smile upon me again."

He did receive a smile in return, but it was both sad and distant. "My dear Colonel Fitzwilliam," Charlotte replied, formally, "there has been no indiscretion. We are as good friends as ever we were. Please rest assured that I hold you in the highest regard and look upon your affection and concerns for my happiness in quite the manner in which you intend them. However, you must remember that I am a widow, and you must excuse my attempts to restrain my responses."

The Colonel relaxed slightly, if it was simple fears of the propriety of her actions that concerned her, then this was a small matter only. He was a patient man, he could and he would wait until she and society felt the time was ready. A warm smile began to spread across his face, but it was washed away almost immediately by the words which followed.

"You must know that I hold you as close as family could be in your friendship to me. Indeed, I think of you quite as a brother in all the kind actions that you have exerted on my behalf in recent months."

"A brother?" He stumbled over the two simple words, before recovering enough to utter an attempt at civility which came out in a tone that was not quite steady. "Of course, you must know how much I have always esteemed you Mrs Collins, and I hope you will know that my _brotherly_ assistance can always be relied upon even if I am at a distance."

"Thank you Colonel, but the distance from the Dower House to Pemberley is not so great that I can imagine us not meeting often." Charlotte's smile was warmer now, as though she could read the pain in his eyes and was attempting to soften the blow.

"Not between those two properties, no." The Colonel replied, reaching into his jacket as he spoke, "but I will be at some distance more removed for the coming months at least, Mrs Collins. I received this morning an offer to assist my former employers on the continent at the forthcoming peace conference in Vienna. My language skills seem much in demand, and I have just today decided to accept the position. I will be leaving almost immediately."

He made a mental note to remember to burn the letter of rejection which he had already penned that morning and to compose a reply to the Duke of Wellington in the affirmative instead. He then privately thanked the fates for providing him with a ready opportunity to remove himself from this situation, which he had so clearly misjudged, with as little loss of face as was possible.

"I came today primarily to say my goodbyes to you Mrs Collins, as we have always been such _good friends_. I am certain that Mrs Darcy will be happy to share with you news from such letters as I have time to write during my time away, and I hope that you will make free of her to pass on anything which you would wish to share with me equally?"

Charlotte looked shocked, but composed herself shakily, "Of course, Colonel. You will be missed, but I understand that duty calls. Goodbye, and safe travels."

"Indeed…duty…it is often a great boon to those upon whom it calls, Mrs Collins. Farewell, and good health to you."

With that he turned and left the room abruptly, not looking back to see Charlotte sink forlornly into a chair behind her, with eyes downcast. He passed a worried looking Georgiana in the hallway who was being dragged towards the stairs by a determined looking Kitty. He spared a momentary thought to wonder in what mischief the young Bennet sister was engaging his ward to indulge, but found that in his current frame of mind he simply could not summon up the enthusiasm to truly care. His head bent and his shoulders slumped, he left the house for the quiet sanctuary of the rear garden, from which point he would at least be unable to see Charlotte's carriage as it took her from the house and from him.


	22. Chapter 22

The heat of the long summer days faded to a mellow autumn which Charlotte and Lizzy both welcomed. Freed from the oppressive warmth, Lizzy in particular found herself less encumbered and more able to pursue her usual interests in spite of her increase. Charlotte was less fortunate, and found herself greatly debilitated despite the cooler days and nights. On one of Lizzy's visits to the Dower House, Charlotte joked that, while Lizzy was obviously carrying a normal child, Charlotte was fairly certain that she was carrying some representative of the elephant species that her father had recently reported seeing at Covent Garden. Lizzy spent some considerable time calling out names that might be suitable for a baby elephant, before the women were distracted from their nonsense by the arrival of Charlotte's letters which that morning was copious in quantity. Begging her friend's pardon, Charlotte opened the letter whose hand was most familiar and scanned the contents eagerly.

"It is from Maria," she said, smiling as she bowed over the letter at her small writing desk, "she is to come to me next week…" the smile dimmed slightly, "with both of my parents and two of my brothers."

"I can send more staff from Pemberley to help, Charlotte," her guest offered, but Charlotte shook her head. "No it's not that Lizzy, and you have been more than generous already. Really, as they're not actually instructing anyone yet, the staff here have so little to do looking after me that I am quite sure that they are all bored senseless. Your marvellous Joan is more or less running the house, much to the housekeeper's despair! The increase in numbers will be welcomed by all of them at least."

Charlotte turned to face her friend, "you see, I did so very much want to spend time with Maria. She has felt quite isolated since we all left Meryton. Now that only your sister Mary remains at Longbourn, she is quite devoid of much…varied company, and I had hoped that some time away from our parents might do her some considerable good. I fear that she is growing melancholy, and that my mother is rather selfishly keeping her out of society in order to assist at home."

Lizzy commiserated, but had her own news to share of a similar nature. "We are to have quite the invasion then, dear Charlotte. A letter arrived at Pemberley last night informing me that I may expect my mother, my father, and Mary within the next few days." Lizzy sighed, "I fear that Mr Darcy may not cope with the combination of Mary, Kitty, and mother. He will doubly miss his cousin's presence at Pemberley now..." Here Lizzy faltered and looked askance towards her companion, "oh dearest Charlotte, I am sorry, I did not mean to…"

"Lizzy, you can say his name, you know. It does not wound me, nor should it. I wanted his attentions to cease, and cease they did. I will admit that I miss his presence more than I had imagined I would, but his absence is good for me in many ways. A clean break was needed, and despite the pain, I will no doubt heal more quickly for it."

Her friend still looked pained, and Charlotte rushed to reassure her, "truly Lizzy, you may speak of him. You may even tell me how he fares; I know that he corresponds with you, and I would like very much to hear those parts of his letters that you are authorised to share. I hope that when he returns, we will be able to meet easily and painlessly, like old friends rather than there being any awkwardness between us. To that end it will do me much good to hear what he writes so that I can speak intelligently to him when he comes to visit you again, as he surely will."

Lizzy knew her friend too well to miss the underlying interest in the Colonel's activities that this sentiment evinced, and she smiled to herself with the almost certain knowledge that an absence of almost six weeks had not done much to lessen Charlotte's feelings for him. But outwardly she showed no signs, saying only that she would bring out the Colonel's latest letter when next Charlotte came to Pemberley.

The talk turned back to their respective forthcoming visitors, and Lizzy suggested a number of local pleasure trips that might occupy both sets of visiting parties for a good number of days. Charlotte was quick to agree to the planning of such excursions as soon as possible in order that the arrangements might be thus fixed and unalterable by the time that their guests arrived. By the time that Joan arrived to take tea with the ladies, they were quietly confident that they would be able to despatch their guests to sundry other places for a fair proportion of their proposed stays.

The impending arrival of her family turned Charlotte's thoughts to the conversation she had had some months previously with Joan regarding her mourning dress. She was well past the five month mark now, and she had still not ventured to don the two dresses which Joan had kindly altered for her. Charlotte spent part of a particularly long afternoon trying to not think about the dresses, but then finally gave way and asked Joan to assist her in trying them on. To her astonishment, they fitted her well, and even had some room for further expansion. Her queries regarding how this had been accomplished when the alterations had been made some months ago were met by the shyly contrite reply that Joan had been continuing to periodically alter the dresses week by week, in the hopes that Charlotte would finally decide to wear them. Her kindness and patience moved Charlotte almost to tears, and she felt guilty at having prevaricated so long in making this last step to drop her full black attire. The dresses were beautiful and, while still predominantly black, had the addition of various paler silks and laces in hues of purple and grey which made them a little less austere and a good deal less utilitarian. Charlotte delighted Joan by announcing that she was now officially declaring herself to be in half mourning and passing all of her black dresses but one into the latter's care for alteration and modification. Joan reacted as though Charlotte had announced a second Christmas, and fairly floated from the room chattering happily to herself about crepe and lace and tulle.

Left to her own devices, Charlotte turned silently to and fro before the mirror, appraising her appearance as honestly as she could. Her face she could never herself describe as being pretty, and she was, at thirty, certainly beyond the first flush of her youth, but her pregnancy had given her a certain freshness that was spoiled only by the tiredness evident under her eyes. Her figure was now a lost cause, but the new dress helped considerably, and in it she felt that she slightly more closely resembled a normal woman expecting a child, than she had in her previous attire. She found herself idly wondering whether the Colonel would approve of her new dresses, and had to berate herself crossly when her thoughts threatened to depart on a whimsical daydream where that man was so bowled over by her new appearance that he offered for her on the spot, without regard for the consequences.

 _Foolish, contrary woman_ , she scolded herself aloud. _That is exactly what you did not want him to do, so why are you imagining it now_? Then she began to wonder what the servants would say if they could hear her talking to herself, and hurriedly tidied herself up; leaving her chamber without another thought for a certain Colonel or for impossible futures.


	23. Chapter 23

The Pemberley Offensive, as Mr Darcy had taken to calling it, began with the arrival of the Lucas family en masse and in much excitement. As they were all accommodated at the Dower House, however, the pain inflicted upon Mr Darcy was limited to his having to endure some quite execrable conversation with Mrs Lucas at the two dinners which his wife hosted for them, and having to frequently remove the two Lucas boys from the high points of trees in which they became stuck at regular intervals. The true test of his patience came some days later when Mr and Mrs Bennet arrived with their third daughter. The first day of the visit began poorly, with some upset over the assigned rooms (too far from the rest of the Darcy family's rooms, in Mrs Bennet's opinion), and proceeded to decline over tea with a series of misjudged efforts by Mary to show her burgeoning conversational skills, which merely resulted in a series of disjointed and uncomfortable conversations primarily about scripture. It concluded in a crescendo of awfulness with several barbed comments made by Mrs Bennet over dinner regarding the fate of the Longbourn entail and her vulgar assertion of her certainty that Charlotte Collins must be praying night and day for a son so that she could turn them all out of their home.

Mr Darcy pleaded urgent business and retreated to his study as quickly as possible. Lizzy pleaded a headache and went to bed early. Georgiana looked as though she might attempt to take on the onerous role of hostess to the party, but Kitty spirited her away at the first opportunity, and none of the remaining Bennets ever quite ascertained where the pair had gotten to for the rest of the evening. Mr Bennet retreated to the library, to which he was always given free access during his visits, and Mrs Bennet and Mary were largely left to entertain themselves. Lizzy felt guilty about her poor reception of them on their first night right up until her mother appeared at breakfast the next morning and the whole debacle began again with variations on the same theme as the day before. Lizzy cautioned herself to be patient, and inwardly wondered at her fortitude in being able to survive an upbringing filled with so much nonsense and strife. Years away from her former home had taught her the true value of a happy house with an equal partner, and the visitation of her family did much to recommend her husband's virtues to her all over again.

"Good God Elizabeth," her husband exclaimed as he pulled her into a nearby linen cupboard to escape her mother's pursuit, "does she ever draw breath?"

Lizzy sighed and attempted to smooth over the latest indiscretion which seemed to involve some utterly ridiculous claims that her mother was making regarding the relative qualities of Georgiana and Mary at the pianoforte. "She truly does not mean to insult Georgiana, but she cannot help herself but try to put her daughters at the top of everything. It is a failing, but it is meant kindly towards her girls."

"The woman needs to be taught a little tact," he grumbled, "and how Mrs Collins bore her comments last night I will never know."

"Charlotte is sadly well acquainted with mother's ways and words and allows them to pass over her in much the same way that my father does," Lizzy said, sadly. "It pains me to say it, but I have begun to recognise that perhaps if my father had not been as easy about ignoring his wife's foolishness and had attempted to share some of his own intellect and reason with her, we might have had a mother whose society was easier to accommodate with pleasure."

They hid for a few further private moments, until disturbed by one of the maidservants who was far too used to finding the master and mistress in all sorts of unexpected and out of the way places in the house to make any comment on Mrs Darcy's dishevelled appearance.

At the Dower House, the situation was less fraught, but more chaotic, as the Lucas boys proceeded to get into every imaginable scrape that they could devise, and Mrs Lucas traversed the house finding fault with almost all of the arrangements and attempting to alter many of the articles which caused her offence. Any anticipation which the staff had felt at the imminent arrival of a party of guests was quickly quashed by the truly ridiculous demands that Charlotte's mother placed upon them. Charlotte tried to restrain her as best she could but, though she was pained to admit it, she was unable to do much to curtail the impulses of one who had in recent years become far too used to getting her own way without restraint or opposition. She rather feared that her mother had found a new role model in the shape of her neighbour Mrs Bennet, and she took the first opportunity to speak to Maria in private about her situation at home.

Maria was miserable. Although she tried bravely to appear cheerful and was genuinely glad to see her eldest sister, Charlotte was not deceived for a second. Her young spirit was being steadily trampled by the troubles at home, and Charlotte was seriously concerned for her health. She spoke earnestly with Lizzy about the situation at the first opportunity, "I would ask mother to allow her to stay with me, Lizzy, but I do not think that she would permit her to be gone for long" Charlotte reported sadly. Lizzy considered for a moment and then suggested, "Would it make a difference if I were to suggest that we were in need of a companion for Georgiana, do you think? It is really past time for Georgiana to begin attending more balls and gatherings than she currently does, and we could perhaps suggest that this would be an opportunity for Maria to have at least part of a season in London along with her. This would give us an excuse to keep Maria for at least a few months, and possibly all through the first half of next year."

Charlotte hugged her friend impulsively, "You are clever Lizzy, I don't see how my mother can refuse, and my father will certainly never find an opportunity to give Maria a season at such little expense. Imagine it! Lucky girl! She will get to experience something that neither of us did – a London season – and a period away from my mother. Do you think that Mr Darcy will agree to it?"

"That, my dear Charlotte, is not something that you need ever worry about in relation to any of my schemes. Mr Darcy can be relied upon to know what is good for him and to agree with me in any matters which do not directly contradict his own feelings. And even those can be overcome especially when I am carrying another potential heir to Pemberley!"

Charlotte marvelled again at the easy familiarity of her friend's marriage, and wondered whether she might ever have experienced such herself. The image of such a situation developing with her former husband was an impossible one with which to conjure, but Charlotte was momentarily enticed by the memory of easy laughter shared with another gentleman much more recently.

Noticing the far away look in her friend's eyes, Lizzy tactfully busied herself with some embroidery until Charlotte shook herself from her daydream with apologies. "Really Lizzy, I do not know where my mind goes to these days. I find myself wandering into fancies at the oddest moments."

Lizzy laughed at her, and they both agreed that babies were not conducive to normal brain functions, especially in the final weeks prior to their arrival. Their interview concluded with Lizzy's promise to let Georgiana in on their plans, and to have her husband approach Mr and Mrs Lucas at the first opportunity.


	24. Chapter 24

The Bennets stayed at Pemberley for almost a fortnight, before Mr Darcy was finally able to wave them a cheerful farewell and reclaim his own house. Charlotte's house guests remained longer, and indeed her mother declared that they were so comfortable at the Dower House that they would not be sorry to all remain there until the end of their daughter's confinement. This prospect brought no small degree of horror to Charlotte, who could think of no one whose presence in the birthing chamber she would welcome less than that of her mother. She found, however, that she had an invaluable helper in young Sarah, who had taken it upon herself to curb the worst of the young Lucas boys' behaviour, and who was also seemingly endlessly capable of listening to Mrs Lucas's conversation (which mainly consisted of gossip and complaints) without showing any signs of weariness or loss of patience. Lizzy and Charlotte encouraged her in these efforts, and as no one saw fit to inform Mrs Lucas that Sarah was anything other than a young widowed acquaintance of the family, the situation worked perfectly and offended nobody.

The other distraction which took over the minds of the Pemberley party as autumn turned towards chilly wintery days, was the behaviour of Georgiana and Kitty, who were now thick as thieves and apparently engaged in many secret pursuits that necessitated them being in each other's company frequently. Sometimes Georgiana's friend Alice Peterson formed a trio with them in their schemes but, as she had recently begun a courtship with a young scholar from the neighbourhood, it was most often Kitty who kept company with Georgiana these days. Maria was also included on occasion, but as the two older girls were evidently embarked upon some great project from which all but they were excluded, she was only a peripheral member of their group.

Mr Darcy wondered at the strange friendship of his level headed and cautious sister with his somewhat flighty and unpredictable sister-by-law. He was conscious, as he admitted to his wife, of great improvements in Kitty's character caused mostly by her exposure to superior company and manners during her frequent visits to the Bingleys in the course of the past few years. However, Kitty was still one to laugh too loudly, and often say the most outrageous things at the worst possible moments. He privately wondered if he should quietly encourage his sister to limit the time she spent with Kitty, and attempted to broach the subject tentatively one day, with completely unexpected results. To his amazement and horror, Georgiana flew into the first temper that he had ever seen from her. She went so far as to threaten to refuse to go to London at all that season unless Kitty was permitted to accompany her and Maria. This was no small threat, as her agreement to take any part in the 'London marriage circus' as she had termed it, had been hard won by himself and Lizzy. Georgiana would now apparently only have the courage to attend balls if she was flanked by Kitty Bennet, and if her brother wished her to be presented at court, then she would only do so if Kitty was sponsored along with her.

Mr Darcy withdrew in the face of such opposition, knowing enough of the mind of a young woman to recognise that further opposition was likely simply to cause further entrenchment. He reported back his astonishment to his wife, who looked rather sadly at him and shook her head, saying that they might need to think of allowing Georgiana to establish herself in her own home quite soon. "Elizabeth, her home is Pemberley, and it should be thus until she marries." Her husband looked at her with confusion, "surely you do not wish my sister to be sent away from here." He looked more than hurt by the thought that his wife might wish to oust his sister from her home.

"Husband, dear, please. Think. Reason. Have I ever shown any signs of wishing Georgiana anywhere but here with us?" Elizabeth looked at him with a wry smile, and clarified her thinking,

"If it were up to me then she would remain close to us forever, but she has been too little in the world, and her horizons have been so limited by the protection under which she has been placed that I fear that we have restricted her growth. Let her set up her own home in London for the season. Let her be properly supervised, but permit her to be mistress of her own affairs and captain of her own ship for a time. Remove any mention of the season being designed to secure a marriage and allow her simply to exist away from us for a time. She is sensible and mature and will not disappoint you."

Mr Darcy balked at the idea of allowing his young sister to be set loose in the capital, and more particularly at the idea of the young men of the capital being set loose upon her. However, his wife continued to reason with him. "Georgiana is nineteen years of age. She should have been presented three years ago. She is straining at the leash that has been imposed upon her…a leash attached for the best of brotherly reasons," she hurried to clarify as she saw her husband's face darken, "but a restraint upon her none the less. At her age she could easily be married and a mother. Please let us allow her to be an independent young woman first, before either of those fates befall her."

Mr Darcy made no promises, but agreed to consider the matter and to write to Colonel Fitzwilliam to ascertain his view. With such, Lizzy was forced to be content and, although she was determined to press her sister-by-law's claims to be able to choose her own path and her own friends, she also knew when it was wisest to hold her tongue and to allow the seeds planted in her husband's mind time to take hold and grow of their own volition.

In contrast to this approach, it was only after much discussion and some cajoling by all of the Darcys, that Mr and Mrs Lucas were persuaded of the merits of allowing Maria to remain at the Dower House with her sister until Christmas, on the understanding that she should then accompany Georgiana to town at the beginning of the new year. Maria was overjoyed, Charlotte was scarcely less so, and it was with happy hearts and light spirits that they saw their parents and brothers to the carriage at the end of their protracted visit. When the tears and the kisses and the waving were concluded, the two sisters turned happily towards the Dower House. Charlotte hugged Maria close saying, "now we shall count your visit as truly beginning", before pausing as if to catch her breath, then clutching her stomach and turning sheet white as she collapsed to the ground in front of her horrified sibling.


	25. Chapter 25

Charlotte's world was filled with pain and noise, but she felt strangely detached from her surroundings. It was as though she were viewing her situation from the outside and through a veil. She pieced together all that she could remember of the day. She certainly knew that she had felt in good health upon bidding farewell to her family, and then she had a blank patch in her recollections until she awoke in Mr Peterson's arms. She was aware of much shouting and of being carried some distance towards her house. Then more darkness and new voices. These voices were here and now. She recognised Mrs Brown, the monthly nurse, and a male voice which seemed to come from someone who was in command of things (she did not recognise his voice). She tried to focus, but lost consciousness once again.

In her next lucid moment, the noise was still coming from all around her, but the pain had lessened slightly. Charlotte risked opening her eyes and sought to get her bearings. She realised that she was in the nearly completed lying in chambers that she had been busily preparing for the past few weeks. She had not thought to be moving into these for at least another fortnight, but here she apparently was. Mrs Brown saw that she was awake and aware and came to her side instantly. "Mrs Collins, you are in good hands, Dr Simpson, your accoucheur, is here with you and all care is being taken. You gave us quite a fright, but things seem to be proceeding nicely."

"Proceeding?" muttered Charlotte, as confused as she was weak. "But they cannot be proceeding. It is not time yet. Tell him that it is too soon!"

"Now, now, Mrs Collins, it wouldn't be the first time that a little miscalculation has happened in these things. It just looks as though you are a little further along than we all thought. Indeed, you look quite full term, now that I have a chance to see you properly. We will look after you, and you don't need to worry about anything."

 _Not worry!_ That was not going to be possible. Charlotte knew that there could be no miscalculation. Mr Collins had been away on lengthy visits at various points early in the year and their 'marital contact' had not been frequent even without such a circumstance. The opportunities to conceive this child had been so few that she was able to count them on the fingers of one hand. The only possibilities were that she was either ten and a half months' pregnant (which was plainly impossible despite her size and her earlier protestations of gestating an elephant) or she was still under eight months' along.

"Too soon," she murmured again, but her words turned to a sob as pain overtook her and she felt a rushing through her body as if her insides were trying to escape in one great gushing torrent. After this, things seemed to be happening at great speed all around her and the noise built again, partly contributed to by her own cries, but mostly comprising the startled instructions of the birthing doctor who seemed somewhat alarmed at the pace with which things were happening. Time slipped away. Mrs Brown said something about the pains coming too quickly, but to Charlotte they were anything but quick: they were long, agonising and eternal. It all became one desperate medley of pain and noise and instructions to push and to stop and to sit and to turn and to lie down. In the end, Charlotte gave up on trying to follow the directions to this dance in which she wished no part. She simply lay exhausted and allowed Mrs Brown to position her as the doctor demanded.

"You are doing very well, Mrs Collins," the doctor advised, "this child is in a fearful rush to join us, it will not be long now." Charlotte was too tired to take the words in, but became quickly aware that something new was happening as the pains and the pressure altered markedly. All of her senses seemed to come back to life in one instant as new life passed from her into the world, and she heard a tiny mewling cry as a blurred object was whisked away from her by the efficient Mrs Brown.

"My baby," she begged, "is my baby well?"

"A fine girl," the doctor announced from the other side of the room, "small, to be sure, but she has all of the requisite parts."

A huge yell erupted as the infant was cleaned, and Mrs Brown laughed, "And a fine pair of lungs obviously."

"Now, Mrs Collins, we need only wait a little for the final action on your part and the task will be completed. This duty is far easier, never fear," counselled the doctor as he moved to examine Charlotte more closely.

She relaxed back onto the pillows behind her and had just taken in a deep breath to sustain and compose herself, when a pain worse than any of the others suddenly wracked her body. She screamed in agony and went as rigid as a board in her shock. The doctor made efforts to hold her down and called for Mrs Brown as he attempted to complete his examination. "This is most unexpected… I had been given no indication that this was the case…We are not prepared for this. The servants must bring more water, more linens, more everything. Get the wet nurse in here to take the first child."

 _The first child?_ Charlotte thought weakly. _Dear God, no. I cannot do this again_ …

But she did. Not without significant distress, difficulty, and no small amount of terror, but in less than the passage of three hours, Charlotte Collins found herself delivered of two babies. A tiny and fractious, but perfectly formed, baby girl, and her slightly larger and much more placid brother. The latter seemed well pleased with his situation, and had evidently decided that he was ready for the world even if his sister was not so sure. But, in a pattern that was to repeat itself many times throughout their futures, he had persuaded his reluctant sibling to go first, saving himself much bother and peril by this strategy!

The babies were brought briefly to her, but Charlotte was too exhausted even to hold them, merely repeatedly asking "and they are well?" before slipping into a blessed unconscious state which held her in its grasp through the entirety of the next twelve hours.


	26. Chapter 26

William and Judith Collins bore the names of their father and paternal grandmother respectively and, after their early entry into the world, they grew strong quickly in the tender care of Sarah and their other wet nurse. Their mother fared less favourably and, at the time when Charlotte would have hoped to be churched and able to see to their Christening arrangements, she found herself still abed, receiving visitors, as she termed it, 'like some decadent queen filling her leisure hours'. After an initial scare of some large proportion, all of the residents of Pemberley had been thankful when a fever which had afflicted her in the early days had passed. However, Charlotte was still not strong, and was beginning to despair of ever recovering her former physical abilities.

She had a constant stream of visitors which had broadened from its initially being restricted to Mrs Brown and Maria in her first worrying recovery days, to now encompassing almost every member of the family and staff from both houses. Mr Darcy had only half been in jest when he suggested drawing up a schedule for visitors to sign up to so that everyone could have their fair chance to spend time with mother and babies. Charlotte's spirits were bright, and her joy in her twin babies was indescribable, but all she wanted to be able to do was to get up and take up the role of mother which she was currently largely prevented from fulfilling.

Her most constant supporter and visitor as the days passed was as much a surprise to her as she sensed it was to him. Mr Peterson came, at first for just a few shy and awkward minutes at a time, but in the days and weeks that followed, he stayed longer, reading to Charlotte and singing to and playing with the babies with the air of an experienced and doting parent. "I missed much of this with my own when they were tiny," he told Charlotte during one visit, "their mother, God rest her, took care of everything, and I was so often out at my labours that I don't remember doing as much of this as I should have with my brood." Although always chaperoned by Mrs Brown, or one of the nurses or other visitors, Charlotte felt herself growing familiar with and fond of this large gentle man, who took such pains to fuss with her babies and amuse her in her sickbed.

Lizzy was also an almost constant visitor. She often arrived and shooed Mr Peterson from the room so that she could take her own shoes off and climb onto the bed beside Charlotte so that the pair could talk in comfort. Even in the last days of her own pregnancy, she refused to go into the traditional confinement and instead spent much of her energy on visits to her friend. Indeed her worried husband frequently arrived to collect her in the evening only to find that Charlotte and his wife had both fallen asleep at some point during their visit and that he had to wake his wife to take her home with him. Finally he put his foot down and refused to allow his wife to visit for more than an hour during the final weeks of her pregnancy. Whilst receiving Lizzy on one of these last shorter visits, Charlotte asked for news of Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Lizzy shared all that she was able. The Colonel had been back to England only once since he had left two months before, and had then visited both his own father and his aunt and cousin at Rosings. He was now back in Vienna and was apparently kept as busy as any man could be with negotiations and translations and whatever else he might be employed at. Lizzy winked significantly. "I certainly do not imagine that he is simply writing notes and fetching tea for the main players, if you understand my meaning Charlotte?"

Charlotte did indeed, and wondered what the life of a spy on the continent might be like. She wondered also how his feelings fared now that some time had elapsed since their last meeting, and whether she herself was sufficiently resigned to be able to meet him again with a sanguine temper and a temperate attitude. She was as yet unsure. He was still, to her, the most ideal example of a gentleman as she had ever met. She was uncertain that she would ever meet one who was his equal. "Have you passed on my happy news to the Colonel?" she dared to ask Lizzy. She received an affirmative reply, "but I have yet to have his reply, his letters thus far have either quickly followed one another, or been conspicuous by their absence for weeks on end. We are in a quiet period at the moment, it would appear."

Charlotte had to be contented with this, and allowed her thoughts to turn, as they often now did, to the future, or to the many possible futures that now opened up before her. Without wishing to appear, even to herself, to be mercenary in her ambitions, she was very well aware that the birth of a male child had changed her life completely. She warily and reluctantly acknowledged that infancy was a dangerous time, but these babies were strong and healthy, and they certainly wanted for nothing that the Darcys could provide for their care. Charlotte knew not how she would ever repay them for their kindnesses to her, but both Mr and Mrs Darcy had made it clear that nothing of the sort was to be thought of. Indeed, Mr Darcy seemed as enchanted as anyone by her little twins, and he rarely arrived without a gift of some form or another for them both.

William Collins had inherited more than his father's name: he was also now the heir to Longbourn and to its income of two thousand pounds per year. The estate would not, of course, pass to him until such times as its current incumbent was no more (and Charlotte had no wish to hurry that day onwards, not least for the grief that the event would cause to Lizzy). However, she could not help but to allow her imagination roam to encompass thoughts of what such an income might mean to her small family. Two thousand pounds was a fortune indeed, especially to one whose disposable income currently stood within two figures rather than four. With such an inheritance, her son and her daughter would be able to be raised in a genteel fashion, and enjoy lives of ease and comfort, and Charlotte herself would not have to rely on the charity of any friends. She also acknowledged that such a future income meant that she would no longer have to think about marrying again simply to secure her family's survival; a future which she had never previously imagined, that of true independence, was a real possibility.

With the impeccable timing that so often accompanies such events, just as Charlotte began to recognise her own opportunities for future self-reliance, so she came to be aware that the attentions of Mr Peterson were a matter requiring some consideration. As she grew stronger and was allowed to venture from her chambers, so she found him frequently in attendance upon her; a steady arm on offer, and kindly services given. That she liked and admired the man was not in question, but she began to fear that his intentions went further than her feelings. Matters came to a head one afternoon whilst the pair were sitting quietly in the Dower House gardens, and Mr Peterson made his feelings on the matter plain,

"My dear Mrs Collins, you will not, I imagine, be surprised by what I am about to say, although you may think that the timing of my declaration is somewhat indelicate. However, I leave next week to travel to the north to look at some investment opportunities that Mr Darcy is considering, and may be away for some months. I did not want to depart without having the chance to speak to you on a matter of some import to us both."

Part of Charlotte wanted to stop him, but could not think of how to achieve this without causing offence, and felt obliged to pray that he would continue his address.

"I am aware that your current situation would make my offering for you at this time impossible, but I would ask whether, once your mourning is complete, you might give me leave to speak further with you on this subject?" Mr Peterson paused, but receiving no reply, he bravely continued onwards.

"I am not a romantic man, Mrs Collins, but I have come very much to enjoy your company, and feel an affectionate respect for you which I hope may be reciprocated. I would be able to offer you a secure home, a respectable and comfortable future, and the promise to raise your children in every manner as I would my own. I make no declaration now, that would be improper and inappropriate, but I merely ask that you would give me leave to speak again on this after your twelvemonth has elapsed, expecting nothing more than a fair hearing on my addresses."

Charlotte said all that was proper in reply, and tried to word her response in as kindly but non-committal tones as she could muster. Mr Peterson was every inch the gentleman and, while seeing nothing in her receipt of his address that overtly encouraged great hopes on his part, made free to say that he hoped that his words would be considered during his absence and that he hoped to be offered the opportunity to improve upon his clumsy delivery of them when he returned. Charlotte could not but agree to such terms, and wished him safe travels and success in his journey. In truth she was in a state of much confusion and turmoil, and was obliged when her companion tactfully offered to walk her back to the house and leave her to her own pursuits forthwith.


	27. Chapter 27

"It is too full of irony, dear Lizzy, that his declaration should be so much in tune with my words to you before my previous marriage!" Charlotte declared once she had finished confiding her recent conversation to her friend.

"Did not I boast to you then of my lack of romantic feelings and my wish only for a safe and comfortable home when I married your cousin? And now I have these very words thrown back at me, and I see them for the inadequate basis for marriage that they truly are."

Lizzy attempted to break in to Charlotte's monologue, but her friend was not willing yet to give way.

"The true irony is that I would doubtless be happier with Mr Peterson than I could even have hoped to be with my former husband, but I now have the pain of knowing what a truly affectionate union could be. And now, when I receive an offer that to any reasonable person seems more than acceptable, I find myself seriously considering refusal as (forgive me for mentioning this indelicate subject) I potentially have the means to make accepting this eligible gentleman's offer unnecessary."

Charlotte looked to Lizzy unhappily, "Who would have ever thought that having the luxury of making choices would feel like such a curse?"

Lizzy did all that she could to console her friend, and to advise careful consideration. Privately, she felt strongly that Charlotte would do well to listen to her own emotions and not settle once more for a marriage that was based upon anything less than true love, but she also felt honour bound to tell her friend not to rush into a decision until she had had the chance to both recover from her recent ordeal, and to plan her future more carefully. To her husband, later than day, she was less measured in her opposition to the match and to the manner in which it had been proposed.

"Charlotte has been through too much these past months already. I think it entirely wrong for him to have unburdened himself upon her at this time. She is still weak, she is not able to think logically, and she is still only halfway through her mourning time. And, much as I usually admire Mr Peterson, I must say that I find it unpalatable that he should make his declaration now…now that it is known that Charlotte will be a much more eligible match than she may previously have been."

Her husband berated her gently, "That is unjust, Elizabeth. Mr Peterson is not a mercenary man. Think about the situation. You have seen that there is a degree of amity between the pair. Mr Peterson will be absent from Pemberley for two or more months, and many things can happen in that time. Mrs Collins' own eligibility may make her the target of many less scrupulous men in his absence. You surely cannot think it wrong that he at least makes her aware of his intentions before he departs."

Lizzy was only partially mollified, and continued her argument, "But he does not love her. And she certainly does not love him. Not in the way that husbands and wives should care for each other. Surely you will acknowledge that, husband dear?"

"Our circumstances, thankful eternally though I am for them, are not typical Elizabeth. You know this. What do you suggest that she do? Should she remain alone and unmarried, refusing all decent offers in the hopes of one day meeting a felicitous match of the sort that few ever encounter?"

"That is not the case here! Charlotte has already met…" Lizzy's assertion tailed off in the face of her husband's raised eyebrows.

"I thought as much, Elizabeth, and I must counsel you to use caution and restraint here. Whatever transpired between my cousin and your friend is now in the past. Their stations in life are so far apart as to make any union difficult on levels that I cannot even begin to imagine. I conversed with my cousin on this matter before he left us and I must tell you that I spoke frankly and definitely in opposition to any match between them."

Lizzy looked thunderous, and her husband attempted to set before her all of the arguments that he had employed with his cousin, but to little avail in this instance.

"You interfered! I can scarce believe it. How _could_ you! How _dare_ you set yourself to interfere in my friend's happiness? Did you learn nothing from what happened when you came between Jane and Bingley?"

Lizzy's colour rose as her indignation increased.

"After all of the upsets that we had to encounter in our early days of marriage: all of the slights that we overcame from Rosings and those influenced by its inhabitants; all of the times that you told me that the rest of the world could think what it wanted of our union, that all that mattered was us. How could you say such things and then take that same opportunity from your cousin?"

Her husband attempted to calm her, but without any hint of success. Lizzy swept majestically from the room saying, "I will speak to you no more of this at present. Things would be said that would doubtless be later regretted by us both. I have matters with which to attend."

With a purpose and a speed that belied her heavily encumbered state, Lizzy made immediately for her writing desk and extracted the Colonel's most recent letter from her correspondence pile. Quickly checking the clues given within to his current likely location, she established where to address a letter with the best chance of its reaching him promptly, and she speedily penned a few lines. A servant was summoned, and her epistle was despatched within ten minutes of her fraught interview with her husband. Satisfied with a task well done, Lizzy sat back in her chair to relax, and quickly had reason to be thankful that she had accomplished the job so speedily. Five minutes of repose was enough to make her quite certain that the discomfort she had been feeling all morning was likely not caused by her digestive system, but that it had a more urgent and pressing cause. Summoning help, she found herself quickly enveloped by all of those who had been employed to assist in her delivery, and was soon ensconced in her, up to now, unused confinement chamber to await the inevitable results of her pregnancy.


	28. Chapter 28

All of the inhabitants of the Darcy household were delighted to welcome a daughter to Pemberley. Jane Anne Darcy entered the world calmly and quietly, and her delivery was of such ease that Lizzy felt quite a fraud for remaining in bed for even the few days that her monthly nurse was able to contain her therein. Young Henry Darcy was a little upset as a sister was likely to be less useful as a fellow sword fighter and tree climber ( _not necessarily Henry_ , his mother counselled) but he was soon bewitched by her smiles and her laughs and looked well on the way to being a doting big brother within hours of her arrival. Charlotte was overjoyed for her friend, and for the safe arrival of a future playmate for her two children, who continued to thrive as she herself grew stronger.

Over the coming days, Charlotte declared herself well able to now supervise the operation of the Dower House and the first few new staff members arrived to take up their apprenticeships. Calm and normality returned to the households at Pemberley, and Charlotte spent much of her time quietly with Maria, Joan, and Sarah fussing over her babies or visiting with Lizzy and Jane Anne. It was an idyllic time, and her days fell into a pattern of idle pleasure which she knew would not satisfy her busy mind for long, but which she was content to enjoy while the mood lasted.

The first ripple to cross the calm waters was an odd disagreement which seemed to have soured relations between Georgiana and Kitty. Neither girl would talk about it, but an estrangement was evident for some days between them. Despite Mr Darcy's hopes, however, that the friendship might founder, the trouble seemed to pass over and before long the two ladies were back to their former closeness, although their relationship had obviously undergone some changes. They spent no less time together, but seemed happier to involve others in their entertainments, which was of great benefit at least to Maria who had been left somewhat adrift from them previously.

Charlotte watched these events with some slightly detached interest, but was aware of Lizzy paying close attention to the situation developing between her sister and sister-by-law. When Charlotte asked if there was anything of concern, Lizzy was non-committal.

"Nothing of consequence is the matter, I am certain, but I do wonder if Georgiana is changing her mind about undertaking a London season. She has been most evasive every time I have suggested making definite plans for it recently. I shall have to get to the bottom of this soon or Mr Darcy is likely to intervene, and Georgiana needs handled with some finesse at present I fear."

Such matters occupied Lizzy more than Charlotte, however, and the letter found ample time to consider her current and future situation. There was much to think upon, not least how to respond to Mr Peterson's proposal on his return. Charlotte's inclinations veered wildly from one direction to another in this regard. In most waking hours, she was convinced that she would be doing naught but storing up unhappiness for them both in the future by accepting one man when her heart did not belong wholly (or even, in truth, partly) to him. However, when she awakened in the night, as her troubled mind often prompted her to do these days, she was quite convinced that the alternative was true and that she was being unutterably foolish by turning down a good and honest man in favour of nothing more than her own dreams and memories of one who was unattainable.

Finally, the day for Mr Peterson's return dawned, and Charlotte knew that she would have to give him an answer one way or another, for her own sanity as well as in fairness to him. She was watching from an upstairs window when first she saw the rider approaching from the direction of Pemberley, and moved quickly to compose herself for the interview. Such was her agitation to conclude the matter that she had already reached to open the connecting doors between the morning room and the front parlour by the time one of the servants arrived to announce that, "Within, Mrs Collins, you will find Colonel Fitzwilliam awaiting your convenience."

Charlotte nodded, pushed the doors open, then faltered as she took in both the servant's words and the sight before her. She stumbled slightly and had to grip blindly for the back of one of the chairs while she desperately struggled to form a coherent thought or sentence. _He was here._ That was all that her addled mind could cope with at first, and her heightened senses allowed her emotions to take over from her usually rational mind.

"What…how…when…Colonel…I need to sit down," was all that she managed before finding his hand at her elbow as he guided her gently around the chair to seat herself.

"Charlotte…Mrs Collins…please forgive me for startling you. It is abominably rude of me to come upon you unannounced in this manner, but I have reasons for urgency and I must be allowed to speak with you, if you are well enough to hear me."

Charlotte was unable to do much more than gape at him, in what she was certain was a quite unattractive and unladylike fashion. However, she summoned up enough control of her muscles to be able to nod, and this seemed encouragement enough for him to continue.

"I must congratulate you on your safe delivery, I was so delighted to read of your daughter's arrival and your own recovery from Lizzy, even if it did take me the better part of a day to decipher most of her letter, and I hope that you both continue to do well."

"My daughter?" Charlotte managed, "yes, but…"

"Please, Charlotte…Mrs Collins…I hesitate to interrupt you but I fear if I do not get my whole speech out in one go, I may lose the thread altogether and make even more of a mess of this than I already am achieving." The Colonel moved closer to her and took both of her hands in his own. "I will only ask that, if you still think of me as a _brother_ then now is the time to tell me so, for I am about to make some utterances that are in no way suitable for voicing between siblings."

As there was no response forthcoming other than a stunned silence, he continued, "I will lay the blame for the indiscretion entirely at Mrs Darcy's door, but I feel certain that she will not object to being so vilified. It has come to my attention that perhaps your earlier rebuttals of me may have stemmed from an unselfish regard for my position in society rather than from indifference on your own part. Is it possible that this is correct?"

Charlotte felt her skin began to turn from its initial shocked white pallor to a quite fearsome shade of red and dropped her eyes so that he could not meet her gaze. He dropped to his knees before her and reconnected their eyes, and she found herself able to mutter, "it is perhaps possible."

This was encouragement enough, it would seem, and the Colonel broke into one of his widest and most attractive smiles.

"In that case, dearest Charlotte, I feel quite at liberty to say that I fully intend to ignore your earlier comments and to tell you that I have made some quite liberating and life-changing decisions of late in which I sincerely hope that you will play a part."

Charlotte could not now do anything more than gape openly at him as he continued apace.

"I have returned permanently to England. I have sold my commission for a rather handsome fee. And I have just taken possession of the estate bordering Pemberley which, until this morning, belonged to the Darcy's exceedingly unpleasant neighbour Mr R-."

This made Charlotte come quickly to attention, asking, "But how…I understood from Lizzy that Mr Darcy had attempted to buy out that man frequently with no success."

"His motivations and priorities have recently altered, I believe. I received early intelligence of the _unfortunate_ decease of his only son. It seems he ran the family's plantation almost into the ground, while simultaneously running into some trouble over a local girl on a neighbouring property. He did not survive the consequences of the latter incident, and his father has been forced to retrench and retreat to manage the plantation in person. We will not see any of that family in this neighbourhood again."

Charlotte's nerves were beginning to settle and she breathed a sigh of relief for Sarah and Samuels, whose lives would now be immeasurably more secure, before she returned her attention to the Colonel who was still looking extremely pleased with himself.

"My cousin has agreed to advance a substantial sum to aid in my purchase of the property. I admit this to you as I feel that it is essential that I make you aware that in me you would be entertaining a debtor, the majority of whose property is currently encumbered in mortgage to Mr Darcy, but who is able, willing, and confident that he will be able to discharge said debts within short order once the estate is improved and profitable."

Charlotte began, "I have no doubt of your abilities..." but was again cut short.

"Dearest Charlotte, please allow me this final indulgence. I must finish and then I promise I shall listen to what you have to say without interruption. I wish to tell you that you have scarcely left my thoughts since I left Pemberley last. I cannot entertain the thought of a life without you in it. You became my friend, my confidante, and the only woman with whom I can imagine living out my days in happiness. I know that I have thrown propriety asunder in coming to you thus and making my declaration, but I must be allowed to tell you how I feel, and to make you an offer of marriage now, to be honoured as soon as you might feel able to accept it."

All the emotions that Charlotte was currently entertaining warred within her as she listened to his proposal. She looked at this man who she had loved, seemingly in vain, for so many months, and promptly burst into noisy, messy, and undignified tears.


	29. Chapter 29

That the Colonel and his new bride were to be happy in their match would not be doubted by any right thinking individual, but there was much to explain, share, and arrange before such felicity could commence. The first task which Charlotte had to undertake was to explain to her overjoyed suitor that she had more than a daughter to bring to the marriage, and that it would be two little Collins babies that he would be expected to take on. He was bemused, amazed, and delighted.

"I cannot understand how I was so misinformed. Charlotte, I can only account for it by showing you Mrs Darcy's letter, which is written so small, and which has been crossed so many times that it took me almost an hour of interpretation to ensure myself that you were even alive after the happy event. The only words that were really clear to me were _concern_ , _fever_ , _daughter_ , and _long_ _recovery_. I had to try to fill in the rest with guesses and imagination."

Charlotte looked over the letter and agreed that it was one of the finer examples of Lizzy's truly dreadful penmanship, "I must tell her that, as a wealthy man's wife she really can afford to use more paper, and that her correspondents may greatly appreciate her not attempting to cram all of her news onto one sheet."

He explained further that he had been moving around so much in Vienna that mail had taken an age to find him and that Lizzy's latest letter had only reached him two days before.

"It was much more legible and to the point and left me in no uncertainty that if I did not return now, that I was likely to lose you forever. I was in no way confident that there was any chance of your being mine to lose, but I knew that I would live a life of regret if I did not even make the attempt, my darling Charlotte."

He kissed her gently, and Charlotte began to understand why Lizzy and her husband seemed so enamoured of the physical side of their relationship. She began to wonder what might await her in that regard and was forced to rein in her imagination when her worried fiancé enquired as to whether she was feeling quite well, her colour being alarmingly high.

The practicalities of the arrangements were complicated and both parties had to agree to a patient and secret engagement, unpublicised to all but their closest friends, until the respectful period had elapsed. It was agreed that an announcement would be made in the early summer, as soon as Charlotte's twelvemonths had elapsed, and that this would be followed as soon as a licence could be procured by the wedding itself. The secrecy was not easy or comfortable to maintain, but it was at least eased by the fact that their close geographical proximity meant that they were still able to spend time in each other's company almost every day.

There was pain along with the joy that both experienced. For Charlotte, the task of providing a negative answer to Mr Peterson was a sorrowful one, as she wanted not to hurt him nor to lose his friendship which had been so valuable to her. In the end, it turned out that most of her fears about that particular interview were unfounded. Mr Peterson returned having already been appraised of the Colonel's return to Pemberley. He confessed himself immediately to Charlotte as being well aware of what had likely brought the Colonel back, and was gracious and sincere in his warm wishes for her happiness. Charlotte was again moved to tears by his generosity and was delighted some time later to observe a growing affection between Mr Peterson and Joan Evesham, who were much thrown together over the coming months.

The major fly in the ointment, as expected, came from the Colonel's family. His own father was less than happy at the prospective match, although he had the good grace to be civil at least to Charlotte. Lady Catherine De Bourgh was apoplectic with rage, however, and there were some genuine fears, Charlotte was later told, that the news had overcome her faculties. She had apparently been unable to speak for ten whole minutes after being informed of the match, and had then flown into such a rage that her poor daughter had truly feared for her own safety. Lady Catherine was now convalescing quietly at home with the aid of some constant nursing supervision, and it was hoped that time would help to heal her mind sufficiently that she would be allowed to leave her rooms in the near future.

Charlotte was upset but unsurprised by these events, and was bolstered constantly by the support of her intended and her friends. Elizabeth soon forgave Mr Darcy for his earlier interference (but admittedly only after he had acknowledged himself as being utterly in the wrong and apologising to Charlotte, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and repeatedly to Lizzy herself), and it was a jolly party indeed who assembled in Pemberley's drawing rooms to celebrate the Christmas season that year. Surrounded by children and laughter and love, the inhabitants of the neighbouring estates had much to be thankful for and, in easy surroundings with no need to hide their plans, conversation between the newly affianced couple soon turned to their own future. Charlotte was apologetic to Lizzy about the prospect of abandoning the Dower House project, but Lizzy was unperturbed, confiding to Charlotte,

"Even should we get Georgiana to London this season, I somehow doubt that she will be returning with a husband. I think that we may well have an alternative tenant for the Dower House in my sister-by-law and, strictly between us, I would be astonished if we do not see her installed there by this time next year."

The Colonel, Mr Darcy and Mr Peterson spent much time planning how the neighbouring estates could best work together to improve their lands and to bring the Colonel's new holdings up to a suitable standard. It was hard work, but Charlotte did worry that this endeavour might not prove quite exciting enough for one who had previously lived a life of intrigue. She broached the subject quietly with him over Christmas dinner at Pemberley, and was met with a rather confused look in return.

"I understand that you might well think that you will prefer a quieter life, but might you not miss the excitements of your previous career? And did not Wellington mind you giving up your commission? Are your skills not rather attractive, especially in times like these?"

Colonel Fitzwilliam frowned as he replied, "Charlotte, the thrills, such as they are, of the battlefield are something that I am more than glad to leave behind, and my 'skills' such as they are can be found in any number of my former comrades. I do not think that the General will be losing any sleep over my departure."

Charlotte shook her head and persisted, lowering her voice to a whisper, "you well know what I mean, I mean that running an estate will never compare to a career in espionage!"

She received a look in return that went through several stages of confusion and perplexity before the Colonel dissolved into laughter. "Charlotte, dearest, what exactly is it that you think I was doing on the continent?"

"Shush," she replied, scowling at his levity, "I know from Lizzy and Georgiana that you were one of Wellington's 'intelligence men' and I do have some idea of what this would have meant, you know!"

"I fear that the two Darcy women have somewhat romanticised my role in the wars, Charlotte. Yes, I did some scouting for the army. Yes I was useful to Wellington as my ability to speak Spanish and Portuguese was not a common feature at my rank. But I would not be able to make any assertions of having served in any more clandestine capacities than that! If you are marrying me in the hopes of gaining a romantic spy as your partner then I fear that you are going to be grievously disappointed, my dear!"

"Is not that exactly what an intelligence officer would say if challenged?" Charlotte rejoined in a spirited manner. "You will not fool me so easily. And you well know that I would still marry you had you been no more than a farmer all your life, so stop that nonsense."

Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed at her merrily, "I make a pact with you, dear future wife. I promise to tell you the truth of my role in Wellington's army the day after we are wed. Will that suffice?"

Charlotte came back, playfully, "No, for if it is a bargain that you want, then I demand that the answers are given immediately after we exchange our wedding vows, so that my curiosity may be satisfied straight away."

Her fiancé shook his head firmly. "No Charlotte, you will find yourself not often overruled in our marriage I would imagine, but in this I will have my own way. Much as I love to talk with you, I have other plans for the night immediately following our wedding," he reached across to gently tuck an escaped curl back behind her ear, making her shiver slightly, "and none of my plans involve conversation."

To which sentiment, Charlotte could really think of no suitable objection.


	30. Author's Note

**Afterword: Author's note.**

A huge thank you to everyone who has (and who may in the future) read, favourited, followed or reviewed my story. I have not been able to reply to all the reviews, but I have read them all and am grateful for every piece of feedback. Hopefully it will help me to make my future efforts better.

For those who may be interested, I plan a short series of stories based on the characters of Pride and Prejudice, and these will follow over the coming months of 2018. A brief outline follows…

 _By the time the widowed Mrs Collins marries her handsome Colonel in the summer of the following year, many changes will have taken place at Pemberley._

 _The lives of Georgiana Darcy and Kitty Bennet will be forever changed by traumatic and shocking events that were happening behind the scenes during Changes and Charity, but which would only come to the surface in the days to come._

 _Maria Lucas will find herself caught up in intrigue, scandal, and deception during her season in London._

 _Mary Bennet will finally have a chance to show that she was more than a wallflower when she meets a man who will turn her life upside down._

 _And Lydia Bennet will come crashing back into her sisters' lives with more of the same drama and disruption that has followed her in every part of her life previously._

 _These, and other stories, will follow in the series, The Ladies of Meryton._


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